The rise of medical tourism in the middle east has brought about a host of countries that are trying to make medical tourism in the Middle East feasible through their own unique ways
Middle East is one of the main cradles of civilization. In the morning of the world, it was Mesopotamian physicians of yore who invented treatments that would evolve into becoming the cohesive science of medicine that we know today. In the modern day, countries of the region, of many ethnicities and cultures, continue to be influential in the science of medicine. Some of them offer unique and particularly interesting offers that would not be found elsewhere, while others focus on the maximizing the quality of already extant medical procedures. In the Middle East we are witness to different manners of medical tourism. On one hand we have large and densely populated countries like Iran and Turkey who rely on their national and institutionally developed medical experience and knowledge. On the other we have small and rich Gulf States importing the very best of the doctors from around the world to work on their luxury hospital galore. Today we will look at the treatments that make medical care in the Middle East feasible.
Iran; Liver and Kidney Transplants, IVF Cycles
At the heart of the Middle East lays Iran, with an already impressive medical history, Iran continuous to impress in the medical science to this day. Iranian healthcare ranks above the likes of Brazil and the United States, both of whom are considered to be medical tourism giants. Selling points of Iranian medical tourism are incredibly cheap medical services, as well as its abundance of historical and natural landmarks. However Iran is among the forerunners in several medical fields. Iran is the undisputed leader in liver transplantation in the region, and ranks among the top five in the world. The “Abu-Ali Sina” hospital in the city of Shiraz holds the record for the most number of liver transplant operations in the world, with more than 650 cases in 2018. The medical center is a world-class organ transplantation subspecialty hospital, and also performs kidney transplantation at the highest level. Looking for organ transplantation in the Middle East? Iran is the place to go.
While faced with legal restrictions in many countries, IVF cycles (In Vitro Fertilization) is fully legal in Iran. The city of Yazd was the founder of Iranian school of Infertility treatment, and continues to be a revered center of its kind. Yazd Reproductive Sciences Institute is the leading infertility center in Iran and the region. In the pre-Covid days, it used to treat an average of 30 foreign couples afflicted with infertility issues. This while an IVF cycle costs only 10 percent of what it costs in the United States.
Iran is one of the cheapest countries in the entire medical tourism industry while maintaining high quality, thus making it one of the best for those looking for medical care in the Middle East.
Turkey; Hair Transplantation, Ophthalmology, Cardiovascular Surgeries
We have already extensively covered the potentials of Turkey in medical tourism, as well as its best hospitals, and while we briefly touched on their treatment prowess, here we will go a bit more in-depth.
Turkey is one of the leading countries in the ophthalmologic sphere, with the highest number of annual eye surgeries in the world taking place here. Across the country, there are more than 160 different eye treatment procedures available, with the country’s performance in the LASIK laser surgery being hailed as one of, if not the best in the world. The Medipol Mega Hastaneler Kompleksi hospital and the LIV hospital are two JCI-accredited medical centers located in Istanbul famed for their expertise in the ophthalmologic sphere.
Turkey has lucrative cosmetic medical tourism section going for it, with many different active areas, such as cosmetic dentistry and skin rejuvenation; hair transplant takes the cake as the crown jewel of Turkish cosmetic services. Turkey also performs the highest number of annul hair transplantation in the world and thus is considered world’s capital of hair transplantation, with the cities of Izmir and Ankara heralding the country’s hair transplantation sector. The Hairline Clinic in Ankara and the Clinichair Hair Transplant Center in Izmir are the two world-class hair transplantation centers best suited for medical tourists.
Turkey is considered among the top five countries in the world in the cardiovascular field, and is an international hub for the treatments of these disorders, regularly attracting medical tourists from medical giants such as Russia and the UK. Anadolu Medical Center in Istanbul and the Memorial Antalya Hospital are the two JCI-accredited hospitals famed for their cardiovascular treatment prowess.
The United Arab Emirates; Cosmetic Medicine, Sports Medicine
A relatively newer medical tourism, the UAE makes up for its inexperience through importing and collecting the world’s best doctors from across the medical spectrum, and subsequently employing them in their stunning luxury hospitals. This makes the UAE capable in nearly all medical procedures. However, in the recent years the UAE has also been active in developing a highly capable native healthcare core.
To that end, the UAE has massively invested in making an elite native workforce with expertise in different medical fields. Orthopedics, plastic surgery, ophthalmology, dental care, dermatology and skin care, aesthetic practices and surgeries, and wellness have received great attention and financial support by the local sheikhs.
The UAE is also the forerunner in a new branch of medical tourism: sports medical tourism. It is characterized by establishing sports medical centers that provides services to professional athletes or those who have an interest in maintaining their prime form and maintaining their maximum athletic performance. These centers provide elite and otherwise not easily accessible diet programs, as well as world-class wellness centers. This has led to many athletes, professional or otherwise, to travel to the Gulf state in search of maintaining their form. The Hundred Wellness center and the American Wellness center, both located in Dubai, are two JCI-accredited wellness centers famed for their services to athletes.
The majority of the tourists who visited Dubai for medical treatment in 2019 were from Asian states, followed by neighboring Gulf countries, while European and African countries were jointly ranked third. This showcases the vast reach of the medical tourism market in the UAE and a shining example of proper medical care in the Middle East.
Along with the fact that most of the medical tourists in Dubai sought plastic surgery or treatment for osteoporosis, fertility issues, or dermatological issues, this makes for a fine testament to the medical prowess of the UAE.
Article by: Parsa Khaknezhad