A contingent of health officials under the leadership of Dr. Tarek-Al Arnoos was commissioned Monday to look after emergency operations during Haj, the Ministry of Health announced yesterday in Riyadh. According to Al-Arnoos, his team comprises 105 doctors and 242 paramedics who will work in various places in the holy cities to help pilgrims get emergency medical treatment without loss of time. The ministry has deployed 80 fully equipped ambulances and 55 mini ambulances to wade through crowds to treat and transport sick pilgrims. The mini ambulances, which are also fully equipped, are mainly meant for the holy sites of Arafat, Muzdalifah and Mina, Al-Arnoos said, adding that there are some 25 ambulances and 10 more mini-mobile medical vehicles stationed in Makkah to serve the pilgrims in that part of the holy city. Al-Arnoos pointed out that the medical personnel in his team were chosen from among experienced hands from various disciplines in all parts of the Kingdom. They were all trained in emergency work to cope with various situations during the Haj season to treat cardiac, renal and hypertension, dehydrated and accident patients. The official said the GPS-enabled mini-ambulances are fully equipped with state-of-the art medical apparatus to handle emergency and ICU patients.
