Barriers of medical tourism development in Iran
Samira Raoofi, Rahim Khodayari‐Zarnaq, Shabnam Ghasemyani, Hadi Hamidi, Soudabeh Vatankhah
Abstract
This study aimed to provide an overview of obstacles of medical tourism development in Iran. In a systematic review through searching online database including PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Persian databases using related keywords, all qualitative and mix method studies published in English and Persian were selected, and the data were analysed using content analysis. Fourteen studies were analysed, and main obstacles were categorized into three main themes and 12 sub-themes including infrastructure factors (4 sub-themes), government-related or inter-sectoral factors (5 sub-themes) and health sector related or intra-sectoral factors (3 sub-themes). Developing marketing, improving international relations, supporting the capabilities of private sectors, and developing guidelines for insurance and tariffs are suggestions that can be helpful in reducing existing problems.