Role of health tourism in economic-social development in the City of Kermanshah (emphasizing medical tourism)

Health tourism as an industry which is able to generate exchange has attracted attention of many countries. One of the most important challenges of this industry in most countries is lack of coordination among health centers and tourism. This inconsistency causes ignoring this kind of tourism which makes proper understanding of its effects on economic social development of the cities impossible. This study aims to determine influences of medical tourism on economic social development of Kermanshah. It is a descriptive analytical study. Seven medical centers with IPD center have been surveyed. Results show that challenges for health tourism in Kermanshah city include lack of medical infrastructures, accommodations, transportation, and lack of proper marketing and advertisement. Overall, results show that health tourism influence economic social development of the city of Kermanshah.