Iran Front Page - Iran says it plans to make health and treatment services more affordable for Afghan migrants, as there is a great potential for attracting Afghan health tourists.

Minister of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Ali-Asghar Mounesan says efforts are underway to moderate hospital fees for�Afghan nationals�in Iran.

�However, this is subject to precise verification by watchdog bodies as [Afghan migrants�] willingness to work without permit can make the process more complicated,� he said.

�In the health tourism sector, more than 125,000 were hospitalized in Iran in the one year to March 2020,� he said, adding around 50% of them were Afghans.

�The reasons why they were hospitalized include gynecological problems, childbirth and infertility, eye surgery, heart�conditions�and orthopedic treatment,� he said.

�What is important is to generate income from�health tourists,� he said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the minister referred to efforts to control borders to prevent illegal entry of Afghan nationals.

�Iran has around 1,000 kilometres of common border with�Afghanistan�and it should be controlled in a smart and comprehensive manner,� he added.

He also touched upon the promotion of cultural tourism, saying joint cultural events have been held, so far, to that end.