MAKKAH: The National Guard will provide health services to pilgrims at the holy sites during the Haj, apart from its usual duties.
“National Guard has set up camps in the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah in order to fulfill its duties in areas of security, health, guidance, culture and media in coordination with related government departments,” Undersecretary of the National Guard for the Western Region, Prince Khaled bin Faisal bin Al-Turki said in a statement on Monday.
The National Guard will offer free medical services in the holy sites, mainly at the 60-bed Mina Field Hospital, which covers an area of 256 square meters and is open 24 hours a day.
National Guard will also take care of minute details such as supplying umbrellas to the sick patients, the prince said. The National Guard’s Health Affairs Department will work with the Ministry of Health in issuing special bulletins on the pilgrims’ medical status and preparation of health statistics, the prince said in his statement.
It will also liaise with the King Abdul Aziz Medical City in Jeddah for support in complicated cases.
The Mina Field Hospital has separate sections for men and women with 20 beds each, as well as intensive care wards and specialist clinics in the areas of gynecology, maternity and dental medicine among others. There are operation theaters and advanced laboratories. Standby generators guarantee uninterrupted power for various hospital services and air-conditioning. The hospital is housed in four large trucks
The hospital also receives emergency cases from other hospitals. It has 12 teams for medical evacuation and works with Civil Defense to airlift cases that require rapid medical attention.
It also receives patients from foreign Haj mission clinics in holy sites and supply medicines to them if required. The hospital also provides a referral service to outpatient clinics run by several other agencies.
It offers an outpatient service, pharmacy and support services. There is also a ward for infectious diseases, totally separate from other clinics.
