JEDDAH, 20 December 2005 — The Saudi Red Crescent Society will provide air ambulances to transfer to hospitals victims of likely accidents on highways during this Haj season, a senior SRCS official said yesterday. The service will be available initially on the Makkah-Madinah Expressway and Makkah-Laith Road.
Dr. Khaled Al-Habashi, director of the society in the Makkah region, said his organization has readied two air ambulances donated by the Abdul Latif Jameel Co. for service during the Haj.
“We have a plan to introduce air ambulance service covering all expressways,” he said.
Red Crescent, which plays a big role in the annual Haj operation, plans to open 24 temporary first aid centers along the roads leading to Makkah before the start of the Haj on Jan. 8. It will deploy 2,200 first-aid experts on Haj duty.
Habashi has said the government has made allocations to purchase 150 new ambulances, adding that 75 of them would be used for Haj service this year.
Thousands of pilgrims have already arrived in Makkah and Madinah for the Haj. More than 2.5 million pilgrims, including 1.5 million coming from abroad, are expected to perform Haj this year. Government departments have stepped up preparations for the annual event.
According to Deputy Haj Minister Hatim Qadi, more than 400,000 pilgrims will come through nearly 2,400 foreign travel and tourism agencies. He said the foreign agents have already sent their representatives to Makkah and Madinah to rent accommodation for their pilgrims.
The Haj Ministry has toughened its stand on domestic Haj service companies and agents as it will license only those companies that fulfill at least 75 percent of criteria.
Abdul Aziz Al-Khereiji, chairman of the Haj & Umrah Committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said licenses would be issued to companies in the light of new criteria to improve services to pilgrims.
The ministry is currently looking into files of 230 companies, which have violated regulations and contract terms in the past. The performance of a company in the past five years and its ability to deal with problems would be considered while issuing fresh licenses.
The government has taken all precautionary measures to prevent a bird-flu outbreak in the Kingdom during the Haj season. According to Health Ministry officials, the Kingdom is so far free from the deadly bird-flu virus.
Khaled Mirghalani, the ministry’s spokesman, said it had purchased adequate quantity of the antiviral drug Tamiflu and signed a memorandum of understanding with the drug’s manufacturer to ensure its adequate supply as part of efforts to confront the potential epidemic.
The ministry has mobilized more than 9,000 doctors, nurses and technicians for Haj duty this year, according to Dr. Khaled Al-Sumairy, health director in Makkah. He said a good number of visiting consultants and nurses will also take part in Haj service.
Sahl Al-Sabban of the Haj Ministry said his ministry had taken measures to protect pilgrims and prevent any bird flu outbreak during the Haj season.
“We have informed all foreign governments about health conditions to be followed by their pilgrims,” Al-Sabban said.
The Health Ministry will organize a seminar on Sunday to discuss steps to tackle diseases that spread during the Haj season. Experts from the ministry, Saudi universities and health departments will take part in the discussions.
Efforts are also under way to improve services for pilgrims inside the Grand Mosque.
“We have plans to open new doors adjacent to the main gates such as King Fahd Gate, Umrah Gate and Fatah Gate to ensure smooth flow of pilgrims in and out of the mosque,” said Sheikh Saleh Al-Hussayen, head of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques.
Authorities have already established similar doors close to the King Abdul Aziz Gate.
He said the presidency has hired 3,781 seasonal workers to ensure cleanliness of the mosque and its surrounding areas and provide other services during the Haj season.
