A leader of the Iraqi Badr Organization and a former minister of human rights, Mohammad Mehdi al-Bayati and Hamedan University of Medical Sciences' deputy director for treatment discussed broadening of mutual cooperation between Iran and Iraq.
Kirkuk is a city in Iraq, serving as the capital of the Kirkuk Governorate, located 238 kilometers north of Baghdad. Kirkuk lies in a wide zone with an enormously diverse population and has been multilingual for centuries.
Hamedan is the capital city of Hamedan Province of Iran. Hamedan is believed to be among the oldest Iranian cities.
There are many commonalities between the cities of Kirkuk and Hamedan that have doubled the importance of facilitating tourism and creating ways to use Hamedan's capacity in health tourism , said Mohammad Mehdi al-Bayati on Tuesday night in Hamedan.
He pointed out the common denominator of Kirkuk and Hamedan in Turkish, common religion and added: Hamedan can be of interest to tourists, especially health tourists, due to climatic and cheap conditions of tourism services and will help to the development of this province.
Hamedan University of Medical Sciences Deputy Director of Health welcomed the development of health tourism and said that Hamedan has a great potential in the field of health besides good weather, historical and religious sites and natural attractions.
Ebrahim Jalili added: By facilitating communication and transportation between Kirkuk people to Hamadan province in addition to providing proper health services to Kirkuk citizens, we can also contribute to the economic prosperity of the province.
*** Iran's Infrastructures to promote Health Tourism
About 98 hospitals and 14 travel companies have so far received health tourism permits across the country.
Furthermore, Iran's Tourism Development Association has been formed by the council to help attract investment and garner the support of government entities.
The association is also responsible for promoting authorized centers and introducing them to both Iranians and foreigners. It is expected to introduce health tourism service providers through a comprehensive online portal.
Iran’s ultimate goal is to earn around $25 billion a year through tourism by 2025, around $2.5 billion of which will come from medical tourism.
According to a report in 2016 by Big Market Research, the global medical tourism market is expected to reach $143 billion by 2022. It was reported in May that the number of tourists traveling to Iran for advanced medical services has grown by 40% over past five years.
Iran has a highly educated workforce and is a regional leader in scientific and health development. It is one of the top five countries in the world in biotechnology.
According to statistics, most of the health tourists are from Persian Gulf countries, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, and Central Asian states. Most travel for organ transplants (especially the liver) and for various eye surgeries, orthopedic surgery, knee arthroplasty, dental services, and cosmetic treatments.
The hospitals of Razavi (in Mashhad, the northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi), Namazi (in Shiraz, the southeastern province of Fars), and two health centers in Tehran and border hospitals are Iran's top health tourism destinations.
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