MINA, 30 December 2006 — Applicants for the job of driving pilgrim-laden buses were, for the first time, blood tested before being accepted for employment. Ibrahim Al-Omar, director general of laboratories and blood banks at the Ministry of Health, announced the new procedure in Makkah yesterday.
“Our toxicology centers and forensic chemistry labs at both Makkah and Madinah tested around 3,210 blood samples,” he said. “Only 11 proved positive for narcotics.”
He told Arab News that the introduction of this test was arranged in coordination with the General Syndicate of Cars, which is chiefly concerned with pilgrim transport during Haj and Umrah seasons. “The objective was early detection of drug addicts among people applying for the temporary job of Haj driving, thus eliminating a source of potential risk to the safety of the pilgrims.”
To add a further safety net for pilgrims, Al-Omar said that the 13 laboratories in Makkah were on standby to run various medical tests and produce results quickly if there was a medical need or emergency.
The laboratories have 431 full time staff, 85 percent of whom Saudi.
