Einollahi made the reamrks in a meeting of the chief representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran abroad on Sunday.

“Today, Iran is one of the best countries in the field of health, not only in the region but also in the world,” he stated.

“Last year, we treated more than 1,200,000 foreign patients at the country's health facilities, most of them from Afghanistan, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Turkey, India, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Lebanon and Tajikistan,” the minister noted.

He also added that 7,000 foreign students are studing in the field of health in Iran.

Touching upon the development of health tourism in the country, Einollahi stated, "The fields of gynecology and obstetrics, eye surgery, orthopedics, cosmetic surgery, cardiovascular diseases, urology, unnecessary medical treatments, general surgery, cancers and trauma are the most common diseases that encourage health tourists to visit Iran.”

He said that health tourists choose Iran due to a variety of reasons ranging from low-cost and high-quality treatment to the use of modern medical technologies and methods, among other things, adding that health tourists acknowledge that Iranian doctors are highly skilled and competent.

The minister stated that his country ranked first in the field of science in West Asia last year, noting that Iran ranks 15th in the world, and 40 universities have the quality of internationalization in medical education.

Health Minister: Over 20 Countries Demanding Iranian Medicine, Medical Equipmenthttps://t.co/4AiKV4Myss pic.twitter.com/WudbbkQkP2

— Fars News Agency (@EnglishFars) February 28, 2023

Iran has made astonishing progress in the field of medicine over the years, particularly in the areas of manufacturing pharmaceuticals and medical equipment as well as training physicians and surgeons at state-of-the-art medical centers across the country amid US sanctions.

The achievments were evident when Iranian scientists developed a number of vaccines for COVID-19 as well as other equipment such as ventilators and testing kits at the height of the coronavirus pandemic amid restrictions on importing them from overseas.

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Back in late August, President Ebrahim Rayeesi highlighted the growing number of patients who travel from neighboring countries to receive treatment in Iran instead of Europe, and said many Iranian cities are considered as “health hubs”.

"Today, many neighbouring countries prefer to benefit from our country's medical services instead of treating their patients in Europe. This is a great capital for the country and it should be protected by trying to solve their problems and demands and paying attention to their opinions," he stated at 'the National Conference of Lasting Service: Praising Health Professionals'.

Rayeesi expressed his satisfaction with the high level of medical knowledge in the country, and noted, "Today there are great capacities in the field of medicine in the country and many of our cities can be considered as health hubs in the region due to the presence of medical scientists and scholars".

"Today, 90% of the drugs used by our patients are domestically produced, and with the efforts and capabilities of pharmacists, our country is one of the exporters of drugs in the world, and many countries rely on our capabilities in this field," the president added.

Referring to the great and valuable achievements of the medical community in manufacturing the equipment needed by the country, he added, "Today, we are proud that all the operation room equipment of the country's hospitals is produced domestically."

President Rayeesi went on to say that many foreign heads of state have hailed Iran’s progress in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors and have expressed willingness to cooperate with Tehran in this fields.