The challenges of kish health tourism: A case study

  • Authors

    • Jila Manoochehri Quality Improvement Department, Tehran Heart Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences
    • Ali Farhangi Faculty of Management, Tehran University
    • Saeed Someeh Kish Free Zone Organization
    • Erfan Shakibaei Department of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences
    2014-08-25
    https://doi.org/10.14419/ijbas.v3i3.3133

  • Background: Health tourism industry is a new growing market that developing countries have a large effect on it and noticing this subject has been emphasized by the vision of twenty years strategic plan in Iran. On the other hand, increase of the neighbor countries’ attention on this profitable market marker to a basic removal need of present challenges in Kish Free Zone.

    Objectives: Aim of this paper is to probe about the challenges of Kish health tourism identified in this case study at 2012 by qualitative method.

    Methods: Effective variables on health tourism were extracted from relative literature and then, variables in 34 groups were combined as a questionnaire with considering the proximity of concept and content. 14 persons were chosen as expert among the present and previous managers of tourism, healthcare system and health tourism areas by Modulation from simple and snowball sampling. Experts in addition to recognized challenges, expressed how significant is each one of health tourism developing factors and gave their expletive ideas about each challenges by Semi-structured interviews which were analyzed by Content Analysis Method.

    Results: The 13 main challenges of Kish health tourism extracted from interviews were related to policy making and planning, substructure and administrative problems, and macro affaires of country.

    Conclusions: Kish Free Zone Organization as governance representative in Kish should eliminate the existing challenges of health tourism industry in order to develop Kish health tourism.

    Keywords: Case Study, Health Tourism, Iran, Kish Free Zone, Medical Tourism.

  • References

    1. TG. Ko, Medical tourism system model, International Journal of Tourism Sciences 11 (2011) 18- 51.
    2. S. Tourani, SJ Tabibi, S Tofighi, N Shaarbafchizadeh, International trade in healthcare services in elected Asean countries; challenges and opportunities, Health Information Management 8(4) (2010).
    3. Z. Kazemi, Study of effective factors for attracting medical tourist in Iran. Research paper requirements for the MS degree, Lulea University of Technology, Netherlands (2007).
    4. F. Azadi, MR. Maleki, SJ. Tabibi, M. Azmal, and A medical tourist perception of Iranian hospital quality: Limited employee foreign language skills negatively impact communication, International Journal of Hospital Research 1(2) (2012).
    5. M. Lautier, Export of health services from developing countries: the case of Tunisia. Social Science & Medicine. 67(1) (2008) 101-10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.01.057.
    6. B. Delgoshaei, H. Ravaghi, N. Abolhassani. Importance-performance analysis of medical tourism in Iran from medical tourists and medical services provider's perspective: 2011, Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research 12(11) (2012) 1541-7.
    7. A. Garcia-Altes, The development of health tourism services. Annals of Tourism Research 32 (1) (2005) 262-6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2004.05.007.
    8. J. Connell, Medical tourism: sea, sun, sand and… surgery, Tourism management 27 (6) (2006) 1093-100. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2005.11.005.
    9. B. Hutchinson, Medical tourism growing worldwide, University of Delaware (2005).
    10. M. Lagace, The rise of medical tourism, Harvard Business School Working Knowledge (2007) 1-2.
    11. IA. Glinos IA, R. Baeten, H. Maarse, Purchasing health services abroad: practices of cross-border contracting and patient mobility in six European countries, Health Policy 95 (2) (2010) 103-12.
    12. CJ. Schroeder, The evolution of medical tourism, InternationalThailand GCEOB, editor (2007).
    13. A. Jabbari, Designing a model for iran medical tourism, Iran University of Medical Sciences (2009).
    14. B. Mills, Jordan health systems appoint president & ceo, http://phillipsdipisa.com/phillips-Dipisa-news/jordan-health-systems-appoints-president-ceo. Published October 2007. Accessd 2012.
    15. E. Cohen, Medical tourism in thailand, AU-GSB e-journal 1 (1) (2008) 24-37.
    16. S. Caballero, C. Mugomba, Medical tourism and its entrepreneurial opportunities-a conceptual framework for entry in to the industry. Unpublished master thesis Göteborg University (2006).
    17. SS. Andaleeb, Hospital advertising: the influence of perceptual and demographic factors on consumer dispositions. Journal of Services Marketing 8 (1) (1994) 48-59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/08876049410053302.
    18. AHAH. Khan, Factors influencing of tourist loyalty: A study on tourist destinations in malaysia (2013).
    19. P-T. Chen, R-H. Kung, MY. Huang, F-D. Chen, L. Pei, editors, Exploring the medical tourism development barriers and participation willingness in taiwan: An example of mainland tourist, Proceedings of World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology (2012).
    20. M. Jahangiri, Medical tourism industry in iran, WWW.iranhelthtourism.ir/fa/ViewNew. Published 2008, Accessd 2012.
    21. R. Asadi, M. Daryaei, Strategies for development of Iran health tourism. Euro J Soc Sci 23 (3) (2011) 329-44.
    22. L. Rokni, A. Pourahmad, MH. Moteiey Langroudi, R. Mehdi Mahmoudi, N. Heidarzadeh, Appraisal the potential of central iran, in the context of health tourism. Iranian Journal of Public Health 42 (3) (2013) 272-9.
    23. S. Ghalami, Investigate ways to improve Iran's position in the market for health services and medical tourism attraction [Thesis], Tehran: School of Management, Tarbiat Modares University (2010).
    24. H. Salimpour, M. Tajvar, M. Arab, A survey on the current statues of exporting medical products and services to abroad in Iran, Homaye Salamat 3 (17) (2007) 12-22.
    25. A. Jabbari, MKR. Zarchi, Z. Kavosi, T. Shafaghat, A. Keshtkaran, The marketing mix and development of medical tourism in Shiraz, Mater Sociomed 25 (1) (2013) 32-6. http://dx.doi.org/10.5455/msm.2013.25.32-36.
    26. B. Delgoshaei, H. Ravaghi, N. Abolhassani, Importance-Performance analysis of medical tourism in Tehran province from medical tourists and medical services providers' perspective, Hospital 11 (1) (2012) 63-72.
    27. M. Izadi, A. Ayoobian, T. Nasiri, N. Joneidi, M. Fazel, M. Hosseinpourfard, Situation of health tourism in Iran; opportunity or threat, MilMed Journal 14 (2) (2012) 69-75.
    28. A. Ghafari, K. Ahmadi, Expert issues in Iran, MED & LAB Engineering Magazine 6 (65) (2006).
    29. SM. Bagherifard, M. Jalali, F. Jalali, P. Khalili, S. Sharifi, Tourism Entrepreneurship Challenges and Opportunities in Mazandaran, J Basic Appl Sci Res (2013).
    30. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regulations of investment in commercial and industrial free zones in Islamic Republic of Iran, http://mfa.gov.ir/index.aspx?siteid=1&pageid=22406. Published 1999, Accessd 2012.
    31. MH. Kaffash, M. Ziaee, G. Jafari, Prioritize of related factors to Iran's health tourism industry, Tourism Reaserches 11 (2005) 23-40.
    32. NS. Momtaz, Z. AghaRahimi, Medical tourism industry in Iran: solutions for developing, Health Information Management 4 special (2010) 516-24.
    33. AA. Nasiripour, L. Salmani, The role of Tehran's hospitals capability in development of medical tourism. Hospital Journal 9 (2011).
    34. J. Arunanondchai, C. Fink, Trade in health services in the ASEAN region, Health Promotion International 21 (suppl 1) (2006) 59-66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/heapro/dal052.
    35. [35] R. Hinnawi, Investment in medical tourism industry in MENA region, Medical Tourism & Health Care Management Jordan [Online] (2007).
    36. SS. Harahsheh, Curative tourism in Jordan and its potential development, Bournemouth University, United Kingdom 3 (1) (2002) 45-78.

  • Downloads

  • How to Cite

    Manoochehri, J., Farhangi, A., Someeh, S., & Shakibaei, E. (2014). The challenges of kish health tourism: A case study. International Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 3(3), 335-343. https://doi.org/10.14419/ijbas.v3i3.3133