WHO commends health services for Haj pilgrims

The World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations agency concerned with international public health, has commended the health services provided by Saudi health authorities to Haj pilgrims this year.
WHO praised in a report released on Wednesday the health services provided as a “comprehensive and integrated health system,” stating that the Kingdom faced a major challenge concerning the health care of about 2 million pilgrims in a short period, and it fully succeeded in overcoming this great challenge
The report, available on WHO’s website entitled “Saudi health authorities ready to assist Haj pilgrims,” said: “Haj dates back to the 7th century and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has accumulated centuries of experience in hosting waves of pilgrims from all over the world. Preparations for each Haj begin with lessons learned at the end of the previous pilgrimage season.”
“Last year alone, more than 372,000 people were assisted at the Ministry of Health facilities during Haj. All health services are provided free of charge, even complicated and costly interventions such as open-heart surgeries. Traditionally, cardiovascular diseases, heat exhaustion and dehydration, burns, food poisoning as well as kidney problems are leading causes of medical interventions during Haj,” the report said.
“This year, 22,500 health workers from across the Kingdom arrived to staff 25 hospitals with 5,250 beds and 141 health centers at the four main pilgrimage areas. The Emergency Hospital of Mina is built exclusively to serve pilgrims, as it is located between the holy sites of Makkah and Arafat, where every pilgrim is supposed to begin the pilgrimage,” the WHO report said, adding: “Closed the rest of the year, the Mina hospital has 190 beds and sees between 10,000 and 12,000 patients daily during Haj.”
It further elaborated that new equipment was introduced this year, and 95 small ambulances, described as ‘mobile Intensive Care Units (ICU)’, each with a doctor, nurse and the latest state-of-art technology, were positioned in crowded areas to rapidly treat or transfer patients in need, bringing the total number of ambulances to 175.
The WHO report also applauded the Kingdom for building on knowledge and experience of mass gatherings.
It said that for the fourth consecutive year, the WHO has been invited by the Saudi Ministry of Health to observe and provide any required technical assistance during Haj.
“One result of this collaboration and of KSA’s vast experience in dealing with large gatherings of people for religious, sporting, cultural or other events — called mass gatherings by the WHO — is that the WHO this year designated the Kingdom’s Center for Mass Gathering Medicine as a WHO Collaborating Center. Together, WHO and KSA are learning from and building on the Kingdom’s experience in mass gatherings for the benefit of other countries,” the UN body said.
Health education activities have also been stepped up with the introduction of a toll-free line where medical doctors respond to calls, it said, adding that brochures with health information in 10 languages were distributed to arriving pilgrims and to the media.
Commenting on the Coronavirus challenge, it maintained that the recent outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) had prompted health authorities to strengthen surveillance and health education for incoming pilgrims.
“In addition to the existing laboratory facility in Jeddah and Madinah, a new laboratory unit has been installed at Mena Alwadi Hospital in order to rapidly conduct tests for suspected cases,” the WHO report said.
The Saudi National Scientific Committee for Infectious Diseases recommended that persons older than 65, children, pregnant women and those with underlying conditions should postpone the pilgrimage due to the MERS-CoV risk.
According to Saudi health authorities, random checks on pilgrims are performed upon arrival at the country’s airports, it said.
However the WHO maintained that countries outside the affected region should maintain a high level of vigilance, especially those with large numbers of travelers or guest workers returning from the Middle East. Surveillance should be enhanced in these countries according to WHO guidelines along with infection control procedures in health care facilities.