JEDDAH, 25 December 2006 — The Saudi government gives top priority to the health, safety and security of pilgrims, Interior Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Haj Committee Prince Naif said yesterday while opening a conference on the Safety and Health of Pilgrims. “Our goal is to make sure that pilgrims perform their Haj rituals in a good condition,” he said.
Prince Naif said the conference, organized by the Health Ministry, was part of the government’s efforts to ensure better services on a scientific basis to the guests of God. “The papers and studies to be presented at the conference will certainly benefit pilgrims,” he added.
Nearly 1.5 million pilgrims have already arrived from different parts of the Islamic world for the annual event, which is scheduled to start on Dec. 28. More than 2.5 million pilgrims are expected to perform Haj, a major pillar of Islam.
“We pray to the Almighty that He may help us to do whatever is necessary to facilitate the performance of this great religious duty by pilgrims with safety, security and tranquility and in line with the expectations of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and Crown Prince Sultan,” Naif said.
In his keynote address, Prince Naif referred to the government’s efforts in the expansion of the two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah and the implementation of several health, housing and communication projects in the holy sites for the welfare and well-being of pilgrims.
Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie underscored the Saudi government’s endeavors to protect the health of pilgrims during the Haj season. “We are concerned with pilgrims before they leave their home countries as we advise them to take necessary vaccinations through Saudi missions abroad against diseases,” he pointed out.
He said assembling more than two million people in a single place at the same time requires a lot of arrangement and large-scale spending. He hoped that the conference would produce recommendations useful for the guests of God. “We hope that pilgrims will feel the outcome of this conference during the next Haj season,” he added. Representatives of different ministries and government agencies are taking part in the conference.
They include delegates from the ministries of health, interior, municipal and rural affairs, Islamic affairs, finance, culture and information, agriculture, and the Red Crescent Society as well as the Islamic Development Bank, the Haj Research Institute and Makkah Municipality.
According to a report issued by the Central Haj Committee, 93,050 pilgrims have so far been given medical treatment and 6,383 pilgrims have been admitted at government hospitals in Makkah. As many as 189 pilgrims have died during this Haj season so far as result of heart ailments and other diseases.
