en Health Policy پژوهشي Original article <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span calibri="" style="font-family:"><b>Background:</b> This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the challenges of health tourism development in affiliated centers of Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS).</span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span calibri="" style="font-family:"><b>Methods: </b>This was a qualitative, descriptive, and applied study. The statistical population included all the stakeholders of health tourism at IUMS. The information was obtained through purposeful sampling until data saturation was reached. 20 experts in health tourism at the IUMS were interviewed. Experts confirmed the validity of form and content and coding was done (1),&nbsp; and the final result was presented.</span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span calibri="" style="font-family:"><b>Results:</b> 4 general categories were identified as the challenges of health tourism development in IUMS. They included political, social and economic conditions (communication at the global level and economic development), structural and internal organizational conditions (bureaucratic and administrative, supervisory and communication processes), participation (bureaucratic processes, effective communication between government departments and drafting of strategies and operational plans), and promotion (developing a strategic and coherent plan in the development of marketing and services at the global level and advertising).</span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:115%"><span calibri="" style="font-family:"><b>Conclusion:</b> While identifying the driving factors and obstacles, It is necessary to develop medical tourism, pay attention to the political, social and economic, structural and intra-organizational conditions, attract participation and improve the existing situation and design services, which are among the challenges of medical tourism development at the Iran University of Medical Sciences.</span></span></span><br> &nbsp; Health tourism, development, challenges, Iran University of Medical Sciences 130 141 http://jebhpme.ssu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-106-5&slc_lang=en&sid=1 fatemeh Najafipoor Moghadam fatemehnajafipoor@gmail.com 0000-0001-8466-6456 Yes Iran University of Medical Sciences and Health services, Tehran, Iran Nader Tavakoli 0000-0002-5767-7771 No Trauma and Injury Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Hossein Farzaneh 0000-0003-2171-5235 No Iran University of Medical Sciences and Health services, Tehran, Iran