A geographical assessment of medical tourism in Iraq

Abstract

Medical tourism is one of the important types of tourism in the world's developed countries. The goal of this type of tourism is to travel for the purpose of treatment, recreation, and convalescence, or to enter various health care clinics, or to visit places that have certain healing properties in order to achieve physical, psychological, and intellectual health, or to treat specific diseases, in addition to its role in achieving economic growth. This research aims to analyze the current status of medical tourism in general in Iraq, and to study the geographical assessment of springs and wells. The study relied on a set of scientific references, studies, research, and opinions specialized in tourism related to the field of medical tourism. The research came out with a number of results, the most important of which was that Iraq possesses the components of medical tourism in all its forms, especially hospital and medical, but despite the availability of these natural capabilities, they are almost neglected. The research recommended, among other things, the necessity for medical institutions in Iraq to adopt a policy of developing and marketing medical tourism, and increasing forms of cooperation and coordination between governmental and private agencies concerned with medical tourism.