A Conversation With Dr. Fatemeh Davari, Head of The “Yas” Hospital
Dr. Fatemeh Davari entered the Tehran University of medical sciences in 1987, graduating as a general doctor in 1995, and entering the women’s subspecialist board while ranking first in the country. She subsequently entered the scientific board of the University and has served there for 19 years. She holds a fellowship and subspecialty in the infertility school, and executes laparoscopy and endoscopy with professional precision. And now she has been the head of the Yas Hospital for a month while previously serving as the head of the international patients section. We spoke to Dr. Davari on the potential and capacity of the Yas hospital regarding the attraction of medical tourists in the field of gynecology.
What are the special treatment services that are provided in the Yas hospital?
“We have some of the most proficient and capable experts and medics specializing in gynecology medicine. Some of treatments provided here are exclusive. There are several subspecialist sections in the hospital that are unique in the Middle East, such as blood injection for infants, womb surgeries and certain other methods that we are the first group to undertake them in the middle east in a professional environment. Also in the female oncology section we have subspecialist activities concluded. Our infertility section is one of the largest of its kind in all of Iran, while we also have pelvic fellowship, on that account we are providing unique subspecialist treatments in the schools of gynecology as well as other areas.
Considering the fact that most of the patients that come to us are infertile, and are impregnated using IVF and other means, we have a surplus of premature birth cases which keeps our NICU section quite busy.”
What are the activities that the Yas hospital undertakes in the medical tourism department?
“Our hospital has been the subject of a good deal of attention because of its potential for medical tourism. We have a seasoned and adept group of experts and personnel that provide the very best of services to foreign patients.
The hospital itself is quite well equipped and meets all the needed standards to attract medical tourists. When a foreign patient comes to the reception, their file is immediately marked, which means they will be taken to the ward, and initial proceedings such as, sonographiy and other tests are concluded without delay, and if the patient is in need of surgical or paraclinical services then these procedures will be done at the earliest convenience. We have a great deal of patients from foreign countries, especially from neighboring countries and the Arab states, but also patients from Russia, Turkey, Bulgaria and largely from Eastern Europe who prefer to receive treatment in Iran due to the high costs of infertility treatment in their own countries. For example we had a patient from Kuwait that had come to us to seek treatment for infertility which resulted in them having two children, and they continue to refer other patients to us. Most foreign patients contact us through email or the hospital’s website and are informed by our personnel of the tests that they need to undergo or the date that they need to visit the hospital in order for them to experience the least amount of delay possible.
We have tried to maintain a price that could lead to the attraction of medical tourists while securing the hospital’s interests, and thus far we have had satisfying feedback from our patients, to the extent that most of them keep in touch with the hospital after their return to their own countries, through emails. Considering the satisfaction of the patients, they refer other patients to our hospital as well. In terms of infrastructure the hospital not only matches the quality of those of the private section, but I would say even exceeds them.”
What are some of other services that you provide in the international department?
“The Yas hospital is also active in the field of attracting alumni, and many of these foreign students from collegian levels to professors are referred to the hospital by the Tehran University of Medical Sciences and we’ve had students from different countries for a few years now. For example during the last course we had Dutch and Ukrainian students that were introduced to our hospital by the University, undergo educational courses. They had come for one month courses, out of which they spent a week in the Yas hospital, out of a total of four hospitals we were picked for this course. Similarly, students also had positive feedbacks. The first time that we had Ukrainian students here, we received their professors six months later for the purposes of cooperation in research and educational projects.
Thus the hospital has been successful in the attraction of medical tourists and foreign students alike, receiving permit for activity in this field from the University. Specialties such as Pentalogy, Oncology, cases concerning infertility, special courses related to Sonography and surgeries like Laparoscopy are among the ones that we have received permits for, and are available on our website for both medical tourists who seek treatment and for students who seek educational activities in these fields.”
Why should medical tourists choose Iran for receiving treatments in relation to Gynecology and infertility?
“The women’s section has decent potential for medical tourism due to the cheap prices of these services in Iran in comparison to other countries. To exemplify, an IVF cycle costs 30 to 40 times more in the Western Europe and the US than in Iran, hence, due to the low costs and availability of proficient and seasoned experts and doctors, many prefer to seek medical care in Iran.
We also had patients from Kuwait and other neighboring countries that by their own statement, have expressed that they prefer Iran for medical services due to religious and cultural alignment. Considering that Iran’s neighbors like Iraq are not advanced in medical sciences, Iran is preferred as a close by country, in contrast to Western European states or the US, which makes the distance also a factor. Among the Gynecology services, perinatologic surgeries and other prenatal treatments, as well as infertility treatments are in very high demand. Out of the intricate and severe nature of their form of treatment, oncologic patients are ranked third in the category of the patient we receive given their lower number in comparison to the aforementioned patients”.
How are the communication and appointment services done in this hospital?
“First I need to mention that all the signs in the hospital are bilingual and at every shift there is at least one personnel member who is fluent in a foreign language present. At the reception we have made special preparations for foreign patients with an exclusive receptionist at their service. Foreign patients are hospitalized in VIP rooms and receive medical care by our most proficient experts. The hospital’s web site was also turned bilingual at the moment of its entrance to the medical tourism field. A foreign patient can visit the website and make a request to be linked to the IPD section which is in contact with an IPD doctor in order for the patient and the doctor to exchange the needed information, subsequently the patient is registered in the system and an appointment date is scheduled. “
How competitive are Iran’s price rates for attracting medical tourists?
In the IVF section we have lots of visitors and price for this cycle is from 6 to 7 million Tomans. In the US, a Vaginal Sonography costs 6 to 7 thousand Dollars, while the IVF package as a whole is much more cost effective here.