RIYADH: The Ministry of Health unveiled a plan yesterday to ensure the safety, security and health of all pilgrims during this year's Haj. The ministry, which has provided adequate facilities, equipment and medicines to serve the pilgrims at the holy sites, will field 10,000 health workers, including 40 foreign doctors and 147 foreign nurses.
A team of 25 medical students from the faculties of medicine in the Kingdom's universities will also help the doctors. Some 324 scouts will work on a voluntary basis to assist the pilgrims who need help in going from one place to another.
The ministry has deployed special teams at ports of entry to detect pilgrims who enter the Kingdom with infectious diseases. "Those who have not had vaccinations against diseases that are endemic to their countries will be vaccinated at the entry points."
Saudi missions abroad have been requested to issue Haj visas only on production of medical certificates to prevent the spread of infection in the holy cities.
The ministry has also opened an emergency unit for treating patients. It has stored 14,000 units of blood of all groups in its blood bank in the holy city of Makkah. There are 138 health centers in Makkah, 28 in Mina, 6 in Muzdalifah, 46 in Arafat and 19 in Madinah.
All the hospitals in the two holy cities have been upgraded and the number of beds has been increased to 3,939. There are seven hospitals in Makkah, three in Muzdalifah, four in Mina and 10 in Madinah.
The ministry has 95 ambulances, 85 mini-ambulances and 10 cars to serve the sick.
It will also field a team composed of a doctor, a nurse and driver which will stay near the Jamarat bridge in case of an emergency. There will be six seasonal health centers near the bridge to serve the pilgrims.
As part of its health education program, the ministry will also distribute 1.75 million pamphlets in seven languages in order to spread its health message among the pilgrims.
