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Iran Expat Health Insurance

Iran, officially known as the Islamic Republic of Iran since 1979 (previously known as Persia by the Western world), is a geographically large country with a population of approximately 78 million people. The country has many neighbouring countries including, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. The official language is Persian, while a number of local dialects are spoken across the country.

Iran is the 18th largest country in the world and is divided into 31 provinces. Its landscape is mountainous, with the Northern regions covered in dense rain forests. In contrast, the eastern parts of the country contain desert basins, and salt lakes can be found in the northern central parts. Due to the size of the country, the temperature ranges from subtropical to below zero depending on which area you are visiting. The country is heavily reliant on the oil and natural gas sectors for its revenue.

The US Department of State has issued a travel warning to United States citizens to carefully consider the risks of travelling to Iran. They have advised that dual Iranian-US citizens may have difficulty leaving Iran. This is due to the current political unrest between the two countries. Travellers should ensure that they check if there are any travel warnings before travelling to Iran as travel warnings change frequently.

Travellers to Iran should take precautions when consuming food and water to ensure that they do end up with diarrhoea. Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, cholera, malaria and H5N1 avian influenza (bird flu) are also prevalent in Iran. Travellers should ensure that they take anti malarial tablets before travelling to Iran so that they are protected from malaria.

As Iran’s large population ages there is increasing pressure on the country’s healthcare system to provide the necessary services. The health of Iranians has been improving since the introduction of the Primary Care Network in 1995 which provides basic care at a low cost. It has been reported that 73 percent of Iranians currently have some form of healthcare cover. However, healthcare is not as readily available to those people living in the lesser developed provinces of Iran.

The constitution in Iran states that Iranians should be granted the right to access basic health care, therefore most people received subsidised prescription medications and vaccinations. The healthcare system in Iran expanded rapidly since the Iranian Revolution in 1979.

The healthcare reforms in Iran also included the introduction of the Urban Inpatient Insurance Scheme in 2000. This scheme extends health insurance to uninsured. Iran Health insurance was also extended in 2005 to the 30 percent of Iran’s citizens who reside in rural areas of the country. These reforms have improved the access to healthcare for all Iranians.

The Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) is responsible for providing access to general and speciality hospitals in Iran. To achieve its objectives, MOHME is assisted by the countries 39 medical universities to deliver healthcare in Iran. There are currently approximately 490 Government funded hospitals in Iran. Private hospitals and clinics are also available to people who can afford to pay the higher fees, or who are covered by an Iran health insurance plan. After much training and educating, Iran now has a sufficient number of skilled medical professionals to meet the country’s healthcare needs.

MOHME own and run the majority of the healthcare services in Iran, including its network of medical facilities, medical schools, medical insurance, the production of pharmaceuticals, policymaking, regulation of the health system as well as research and development. Other bodies are also prevalent in the healthcare industry including charities (which run some of the hospitals) and Medical Insurance Organisations which is an insurance firm.

Healthcare in Iran is financed by a mix of public expenditure, co-payments by users and revenue raised from contracts between medical universities and health insurance organisations. The World Health Organisation has been tracking expenditure on healthcare in Iran. In 1995 Iran spent 4.7 percent of its GDP on healthcare; by 2006 this had increased to 7.8 percent of GDP. Similarly private expenditure on health as a percentage of total spending on health has decreased, from 50.1 percent in 1995 to 44.4 percent in 2006. This reflects the fact that the Government and other organisations are contributing more to the cost of Iran’s healthcare system.

Iran is able to provide some of best medical facilities in the Middle East. Although basic medical facilities and medications are predominantly available in the larger cities, facilities located in rural areas will often have limited options for intensive treatments. The Doctors in Iran are well trained and many speak reasonable English. Unfortunately, some medical facilities do not meet the standards of overseas facilities and may lack supplies. Also, if a traveller is hospitalised in Iran it is likely that they will be discharged earlier than they would be in a medical facility in Europe or the United States.

Tehran is Iran’s capital and the largest city with an estimated population of approximately 12 million people. A new state of the art hospital has been constructed in Tehran for heart surgery (Milad Hospital) patients are referred to this hospital for complicated procedures from around Iran. The city also has a large number of clinics for outpatient treatment (Doctors visits etc). Tehran is also home to the Pasteur Institute which administers vaccinations that they freshly produce at the Institute.

One of the leading medical facilities in Iran is located in Tehran, Iman-Khomeini Hospital Complex. The complex serves as a research centre for many areas of medicine and contains three main hospitals providing the most advanced and high quality services. Tehran is also home to the Iran Cancer Institute, Bahrami Children Hospital, the Khatamolanbia Hospital (which contains a good emergency service) and the Arad Hospital which is a private 150 bed general hospital.

Iran has good facilities for dental care with well equipped dental surgeries. Also dental treatment in Iran is very cost effective compared with the cost of dental care in the United States or Europe. The country has a large number of pharmacies, some of which are open 24 hours a day. The pharmacies stock common medications, however, certain prescription medications, nasals sprays and treatments for conditions such as hay fever may not be readily available. Travellers should ensure that they bring sufficient quantities of medications that they require with them when travelling to Iran.

The phone number to dial for the ambulance service in Iran is 115. Travellers should be aware that not all emergency departments in Iran take general emergencies. Two emergency departments that are recommended for travellers to use are the Tehran Clinic and Day Hospital. Medical evacuations are not common from Iran as the country generally has the medical facilities available to treat travellers for all medical conditions that may arise. However, in the case of a medical crisis a UN Doctor will be contacted and consulted as to whether medical evacuation is appropriate.

Iran Expat Health Insurance

Global Health Insurance can assist you with purchasing comprehensive health insurance if you choose to travel to Iran. Expat health insurance plans that our team of experts can assist you and your family with purchasing are some of the best insurance policies available and can be modified to meet your needs and include such benefits as outpatient treatment, dental treatment, maternity services and more. We offer a free service and work with many of the world’s top international medical insurers. Please contact us today for a free Iran expat health quotation and one of our experts will assist you with your health insurance needs.