The General Directorate of Civil Defense in Makkah has increased the number of medical evacuation teams in the holy city to achieve the required response time to deal with emergency health cases of Umrah performers during Ramadan.
The teams are prepared to transfer patients and injured to hospitals and specialized medical centers if need arises, Major Nowar Al-Osaimi, head of safety at the Civil Defense in Makkah, was quoted by the Saudi Press Agency as saying.
He said some of the Umrah performers might be exposed to critical conditions or injuries due to overcrowding, fatigue, or to complications that might occur to the elderly or those with chronic diseases.
The detailed plan of the evacuation this year is designed to speed up access to the sites of reported cases of critical conditions or injuries within the holy city, particularly the central area, and immediate intervention to deal with those cases and transfer them to hospitals and medical centers to have the required medical treatment, he said.
Al-Osaimi said the plan would be carried out through field deployment of evacuation teams equipped with vehicles stationed in three carefully selected locations in Makkah. All vehicles are supported with stretchers and cadres specialized in emergency medicine and first aid, he said.
Earlier this month, the Director General of Civil Defense Lt. Gen. Sa’ad bin Abdullah Al-Tuwaijri announced that more than 10,000 men and 2,000 vehicles including nine helicopters had been prepared to deal with any emergencies in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
Al-Tuwaijri’s statement came when he inspected the Civil Defense forces as they implemented the emergency response plan in Makkah during the Umrah season.
The new vehicles can be used for fire extinguishing, rescue and first aid services.
Evacuation teams increased to deal with emergencies in Makkah
