A number of Azerbaijani Journalists from the city of Baku met Dr. Mohammad Hossein Somi in February and talked about the capabilities of the university and the programs for international students.
In this meeting Dr. Somi gave a general report of educational and scientific status of the university and informed that a total of 9500 students are currently studying at Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (TUOMS). He also expressed that half of these students are MD and PhD candidates studying in different fields of medical sciences.
Answering to a question, later, Dr. Somi stated that there are 20 international students at TUOMS right now. Meanwhile, he announced the decision of the university to boost the number of international students and admit 20 new PhD students in such fields as Biotechnology.
Regarding treatment affairs and health tourism, Dr. Somi introduced the patients of Azerbaijan Republic, Iraqi Kurdistan, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq as the most referring people to the hospitals and medical clinics of Tabriz and expressed that treatment costs in Iran are 3 times less than the neighboring countries due to governmental support and subsidy. He also pointed out that TUOMS has sent a number of specialists such as pediatricians to Azerbaijan Republic in order to help patients and reduce the number of trips to Tabriz. Furthermore, Dr. Somi emphasized the importance of high quality services with the lowest cost possible and reported the establishment of a unit for "Monitoring Medical Services to Non-Iranian Patients".
Finally, Azerbaijani journalists paid a visit to Endoscopy, Lung (Pulmonary) ICU, and research centers of TUOMS.