A Conversation with Saeedeh Mehralizadeh, Head of the Tourism Development Bureau and Secretary of Kish Island’s Medical Tourism Strategy Council
The Kish Island is one of the Iranian free trade zones which hosts many tourists who wish to spend their time on the luxurious island annually. Considering the island’s position, it can become one of the most effective destinations of medical tourism in Iran. Saeedeh Mehralizadeh, Head of the tourism development bureau and secretary of Kish Island’s medical tourism strategy council, believes that the potentials of the island have been neglected so far. She speaks of the potentials of the island in the interview with Medtourpress’s reporter.
The Kish Island is a unique environmental region. What are its potentials concerning medical tourism?
“In choosing of the course that we want to take for the Kish Island, one must focus more on its natural medical properties rather than artificial ones. It doesn’t hurt to take a look at the natural landscape of Kish regardless of its artificial construction; a landscape which slowly yet consistently evolved in the past years. In this landscape the native vegetation of the island has been preserved and combined with new vegetation, it resulted in the Kish Island that we know today.
I think we have always neglected parts of the island’s potential. There are many undeniable natural medical treatments available on the island including Sand therapy, Water therapy, sunlight therapy, flower remedies and wind therapy. In the island there are many free ions the likes of which are absent in any other place due to the island being coral in nature. These ions provide many medical advantages for pregnant women the likes of which cannot be obtained through chemical pharmaceuticals. “
What are the Island’s activities in the medical area?
“In the medical department we have the specialist and subspecialist hospital of Kish which has been operating in medical tourism for a few years now and has treated patients from Africa, South America, Europe and Arab states such as Iraq, Oman and the UAE.
If on top of the natural medical treatments available on the island, the patient requires a medical center for special treatments and surgeries such as cosmetic surgeries, the Kish hospital is ready to host them and provide them with the most adequate services”