ECO member states welcome holding tourism meeting in Mazandaran
Deputy Head of Iran ECO Office Ahmad Asghari-Ghajar said in Sari, northern Iran, Saturday night that the decision was made by 70 political, economic and health officials from the foreign and ministries and head of the chambers of commerce of the ECO member states. He said that holding the ECO Health Tourism Conference in Mazandaran will provide a good opportunity for the northern Iranian province to introduce both its medical and its natural attractions to the other ECO member countries, IRNA reports. ˈThe ECO member states are in need of Iranˈs medical technology, participation, and cooperation in curing their patients,ˈ he added. Asghari-Ghajar said that in the field of health tourism capacities, Mazandaran province has invested greatly in construction of modern hospital and has a large number of highly qualified physicians that will be introduced to the ECO countries as the potentials of this beautiful Iranian province in health tourism. The 10 members of ECO today include Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. The Head of ECO Tourism Commission, Mohammad Kaveh, too, who is in charge of the ECO Health Tourism Exhibition, told IRNA that that specialized exhibition that was initially scheduled to be held in Amol City will be held in Ramsar instead, with 73 booths. He said that the exhibition will be comprised of 10 booths allocated to food stuff, five to medical herbs, ten to medical equipment, three to health and healthcare services, and the rest to introduction of the special tourism attractions of Mazandaran province. Kaveh said that the medical science universities of Mazandaran and Babol play decisive and eye-catching roles in the Health Tourism Conference. ˈThe opening ceremony of Babo Ultra Specialist Hospital is in the schedule of the Health Tourism Conference,ˈ he added. Head of Mazandaran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture Gholam-Reza Oshriyeh, too, said that there was a very positive atmosphere in the meeting for holding the ECO Health Tourism Conference in Mazandaran. ˈWe will introduce the tourism attractions of Mazandaran province in that conference aimed at attracting as many foreign tourists to our province as possible,ˈ he said. He said that the Iran Chamber of Commerce will contribute 2500 rials (around $70 million) to the conference and the private sector activists of the province will actively participate in the event aimed at reviving the health tourism industry, and contribute to job creation, and economic growth. Oshriyeh all the same said that the infrastructure of health tourism in Mazandaran province is not well developed, encouraging the countryˈs economic activists to keep in mind the ignored potentials of the province. The ECO Health Tourism Conference is scheduled to be held in Ramsar, Iran, from August 18 to 20. Medical tourism or health tourism is the travel of people to another country for the purpose of obtaining medical treatment in that country. Traditionally, people would travel from less developed countries to major medical centers in highly developed countries for medical treatment that was unavailable in their own communities. The recent trend is for people to travel from developed countries to third world countries for medical treatments because of cost consideration, though the traditional pattern still continues. Another reason for travel for medical treatment is because some treatments may not be legal in the home country, such as some fertility procedures. Some people travel to obtain medical surgeries or other treatments. Some people go abroad for dental tourism or fertility tourism. People with rare genetic disorders may travel to another country where treatment of these conditions is better understood. However, virtually every type of health care, including psychiatry, alternative treatments, convalescent care and even burial services are available. Medical tourists are subject to a variety of risks, which may include deep vein thrombosis, tuberculosis, amoebic dysentery, paratyphoid, poor post-operative care, and/or others.
