The Status of an Ophthalmology Hospital in Zahedan, Iran in Attracting Medical Tourists

Medical tourism as an active industry contributes to the sustainable development and economic growth of countries. This study aims to investigate the status of an ophthalmology hospital in Zahedan, Iran in attracting medical tourists.

This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2019 in Al-Zahra Ophthalmology Hospital in Zahedan. The study population consists of the administrative and clinical staff of this hospital. Using a census method, 75 people were selected. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire with acceptable validity and reliability (Cronbach’s alpha=0.83) was used to survey the attitudes of participants. Mean, standard deviation, and independent t-test were used to analyze the collected data in SPSS software, version 22. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The mean score for the possibility of attracting tourists by the hospital was 3.5±0.6. Among the study domains, general condition (3.7±0.7) and quality of equipment and infrastructure (3.7±0.6) obtained the highest score, while the geographical condition (2.8±0.9) had the lowest score.

The potential of the ophthalmology hospital in Zahedan in attracting medical tourist is at moderate level. Introduction of historical and scenic places as well as tourist attractions of the province on the website of the hospital, coordination with tourism companies to organize recreational tours according to the climate of the province, creating a food menu and improving the quality level of patients’ foods in accordance with their cultures, as well as improving the hospital’s website, both in terms of content and technical issues, and making it trilingual (Persian, English and Arabic) can be effective in improving the status of the hospital in attracting more medical tourists.