Having a surgical procedure could be intimidating for almost all people. It is normal to have a lot of worries such as: how will my procedure go? Is it going to be painful? Are there any risks? Will I get the result I want? What’s the recovery like? When will I be back on my feet? What should I do before the surgery, etc? The whole idea could seem even more overwhelming when considering surgery abroad, far from your home, with all the unfamiliarity, traveling, and language challenges.

Yet, receiving medical and cosmetic treatments abroad has always been a popular choice for many patients around the world for different reasons, including better prices, higher quality of services, availability of some advanced or rare procedures, and more expertise in specific fields.

Today, many patients choose to do their surgical procedures, especially plastic surgeries in Iran mainly for its renowned plastic surgeons, standards of care, and reasonable prices.

So if you’ve decided that you can get the result you want in Iran, what are the steps? How can you smoothly arrange your medical trip to Iran?

It is highly recommended that you seek help from an accredited medical tourism facilitator agency in Iran to assist you throughout your journey, from A to Z. We mean from the point you decide to have your surgery until you’re comfortably at home and recovered from your operation.

In this article, we will review the reasons why arranging your procedure with a certified medical tourism company is the only safe, secure, straightforward, and advantageous pathway to have a medical trip to Iran. And why you shouldn’t trust non-registered centers or random people, known as dealers in the tourism terminology in Iran, to take care of your affairs during your medical trip.

What’s Having a Medical Trip with an Accredited Medical Tourism Company Like?

Working with a registered company has many benefits since it is the only correct and legal pathway to this journey. Medical tourism companies are approved agencies certified by the Organization of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to streamline the process of tourists traveling to Iran for medical purposes. Any group or individual person without the abovementioned certificates who works as a medical tourism facilitator is considered a non-accredited and illegal fixer/dealer.

Generally, a certified medical tourism facilitator agency has to follow a guideline including certain steps for assisting international patients which streamline their journey and ensure quality care and service to protect the patients’ health and safety.

So, let’s go through the advantages of having a medical trip to Iran with a registered and certified center. And let’s also see what may be a downside that makes some patients want to have their journey with a dealer instead.

Advantages

The following are some of the most significant pros of having a medical trip with an accredited company in Iran.

You’re dealing with a legal entity that could be traced at any time

When contracting with a medical tourism company in Iran, you are dealing with a legal entity consisting of a licensed team with a specific title and address which can be easily traced and followed up. While a certified medical tourism company has a follow-up schedule in their policies, even if they happen to neglect this fact, you can simply contact them for a follow-up.

A legal entity can be contacted and pursued even if the whole members including the manager are replaced by new people since you are dealing with a registered brand. Unlike the case with a dealer who is a single person and may be out of reach by changing their number or address.

A medical tourism company is a team of trained experts

To be eligible for starting a certified business in this field, you need to gather a group of professionals who have been trained in different areas related to the medical tourism industry. Therefore, you as a foreign patient are dealing with a trained team supervised by medical experts who can predict your probable issues during a medical journey from the visa process to possible post-op challenges and solve them by themselves or through effective collaboration with other legal organizations in Iran.

This is, however, not the case when you’re on your own or have dealt with an unknown dealer to have a treatment trip to Iran. You’re not aware of the rules and regulations and you may lose a lot of time and money to solve a simple problem or a misunderstanding. Therefore, having your medical journey to a foreign country even with the lowest-ranked registered company is better than having it with illegal facilitators.

It makes you save a whole lot of money and time, but more importantly, your health and safety. It is important to be in good hands even if you’re going on vacation to have a fun trip, but when it comes to a medical trip where your health is the main subject, it is important to collaborate with people who have the medical knowledge you need to be supported through your treatment journey.

A medical tourism company like AriaMedTour is trained to take care of your medical journey from pre-A to post-Z. So you’ll be supported from the moment you start your first chat with us while lying on your sofa at your home until you get back on the same sofa and have gone through your recovery process.

There are transparent pricing and payments

Accredited medical tourism companies have organized electronic systems to register your files and keep track of your medical and financial records. You’ll receive a detailed invoice to have a clear idea of all the services and their costs, sign a written contract with transparent pricing, and will receive an official receipt for every single payment you make which can be pursued in each step and none of the parties can evade their responsibilities.

Moreover, you will not be charged step by step for unnecessary tests or procedures or for no clear reason at all. You can make sure that there are no hidden fees.

Medical tourism companies can legally apply for your treatment visa

Each country has specific rules and regulations regarding tourist entrance into the country. Similarly, there are specific rules regarding medical tourism visa applications in Iran that need to be pursued by a legal organization by offering authentic proof. There’s even a limitation to the number of treatment visa applications by a medical tourism company per month. This number grows as the company gains more credit over the years and proves its competence in taking care of medical tourists. AriaMedTour, as an example of an experienced medical tourism company, has passed this limitation and can apply for an unlimited number of treatment visas.

Proceeding your visa application with a non-accredited facilitator or on your own may come with an increased risk of denied entry at the airport or delays in your treatment procedures in Iran.

You can make sure that you are not unintentionally violating any rules in Iran

An accredited medical tourism company is the only legal way for facilitating tourists trip to Iran for medical purposes. So when you are working with a registered company in this field you can make sure that all the necessary steps and measures have been taken by the company’s agents and you are fully conforming to the rules and regulations regarding medical tourism in Iran. Even if something goes wrong, it’s the company’s responsibility, not you.

You can report any issue to the manager

In case you’re not comfortable with your interpreter, have a problem with one of the staff helping you throughout your medical trip, or even find one of the members irresponsible or not following the standards, you can simply talk to the company’s manager, complain, and ask for help. The manager will make sure to solve your problem either by reminding the staff to change their approach or replacing them with someone else who can better help you.

You’ll be at the center of attention no matter what

The companies include a team of professional groups each dealing with part of the medical tourism affairs while putting the patient’s comfort the first priority. Unlike dealers who may be overwhelmed when dealing with more than one customer at the same time, a company’s care and attention won’t be lost, be it the high season or the low season.

You can make sure that you’re having your treatment with the best board-certified specialists

The contracts and collaborations of a certified medical tourism company in Iran will be monitored and approved by the relevant organizations in charge which are responsible for making sure the highest standard have been met for the medical procedures. Therefore, there’s no way you’ll be sent to a non-specialist, a specialist in an irrelevant field, or a non-accredited clinic for your procedures. You’ll have your procedures with the best board-certified specialists in the related field in quality clinics and hospitals.

You’ll have post-treatment follow-ups

A reputable medical tourism company’s mission will not end after the surgery. Following up on the patients and making sure that their recovery is going smoothly is another responsibility of these companies. After you go back to your home, you’ll be followed up and will be instructed on your post-op care. You can ask your questions or ask for your medical documents to present to your doctors in your own country. While follow-ups could be as important as the surgery itself, this is one of the steps usually ignored by non-accredited dealers.

Downsides

The only probable downside of having your medical trip arranged by an approved center is the apparently higher prices. But what is behind the pricing?

What may cause the price announced by a legal medical tourism company to seem higher is the pricing transparency which is actually an advantage.

Unlike random dealers who are not honest in announcing the whole price in the first place and charge you step by step for unnecessary items, the company provides you with all the details you need to pay and ensures a standard medical trip. Therefore, there’s a good chance that you’re paying less in the end. But even if it costs you more, you can make sure that the extra payment is the real price of a safe, legal, and straightforward medical journey with top-ranked doctors.

What is behind the low price offered by non-accredited facilitators and dealers?

To make the difference in pricing all clear, let’s start with a simple question. What’s wrong with using counterfeits?

We know that counterfeits are fake products made in a way to look like the original in an attempt to abuse the trademark’s owner’s reputation, deceive the customers, and make money. Most of the time, they look totally similar, but still, it’s just the look and not the quality and function.

Let’s skip the part that counterfeiting is a serious crime and damage to the authentic business. But what are its disadvantages for the user? The consequences may not be obvious in the short term when you buy a fake T-shirt for example, but the consequences are absolutely critical and sometimes irreversible when it comes to your health. Moreover, having surgery in a foreign country when including some illegal steps may cause you trouble which wastes a lot of time and money and causes stress and anxiety. So paying for the right option to ensure your health and convenience is always a wise choice, even if it seems to have a higher price than a non-approved pathway.

How to Make Sure You’re Contacting the Right Place?

To ensure you’re starting your medical trip with a registered medical tourism company, contact them only through the ways mentioned on their official website or social media.

If you’re receiving phone calls and messages from unknown numbers, make sure you check them with the numbers listed on the website or ask the supervisor to approve that number belongs to their company.