Tehran, Kabul expand cross-border healthcare cooperation
Iran and Afghanistan are advancing plans to expand cross-border healthcare services and establish a joint border marketplace, Iranian officials said Tuesday at a bilateral meeting with authorities from Afghanistan’s Farah Province, as Tehran moves to strengthen regional cooperation and improve services for border communities.
Speaking at the second joint session on economic and border cooperation, Iran’s Consul General in Herat, Alireza Marhamati, said officials from both sides were pursuing coordinated measures to ease border issues, broaden cooperation and improve public services along the frontier, IRNA reported.
He described the initiative as a potential “model” for collaboration across other shared borders.
A central focus of the talks was healthcare access for Afghan citizens. Marhamati said Tehran and Kabul were drafting a joint framework to streamline medical treatment and visa procedures for Afghan patients traveling to Iran.
Iran’s policy in this field, he said, is aimed primarily at helping Afghan patients receive treatment rather than generating revenue.
The discussions also highlighted growing cooperation in agriculture and livestock. Marhamati said several Iranian delegations had traveled to Afghanistan to explore investment opportunities, including cotton cultivation projects.
He added that two slaughterhouses in Herat built according to Iranian standards had received approval from Iranian representatives and were expected to begin operations soon.
Officials also reviewed plans for a joint border marketplace designed to facilitate easier exchanges for residents living on both sides of the frontier and support economic activity in border regions.
Alireza Khamehzar, head of the Birjand Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, said smoother customs procedures, stronger private-sector coordination and improved transport infrastructure could further deepen cooperation between the neighboring countries.