RIYADH: Ministry of Health (MoH) hospitals in Makkah and Jeddah are ready to receive pilgrims with medical conditions.

Dr. Abdul Ilah Fitaini, Mina Emergency Hospital medical director and a consultant cardiologist, said that all medical supplies and medicines are provided “to serve the guests of the House of Allah.”

He said that “the MoH had stressed the application of sanitary procedures of prevention and cure for pilgrims arriving this year through land ports, sea and air.”

“The Ministry of Health continues to implement procedures with the view of preventing the influx of infectious diseases into the country,” Fitaini said. He explained that these precautions limit the spread of infectious diseases, especially diseases of the digestive system, as well as respiratory diseases.

He noted that the Health Ministry is at full readiness to receive emergency infectious disease cases.

Meanwhile, the MoH set up a hotline to receive cardiac cases at the King Abdullah Medical City (KAMC) in Makkah. The hotline will receive communications from hospitals in Makkah and the holy sites regarding heart patients who need to be transported immediately for admission at the KAMC.

“These patients could be suffering from angina and other complex and rare diseases and have to be rushed to the KAMC to facilitate the coordination process and administer expeditious treatment,” the MoH said.

It added that heart surgery, diagnosis and catheter procedures for patients with acute infarctions could be done in 90 minutes to save the heart muscle in a timely manner.

The Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA), on the other hand, has announced readiness to receive pilgrims, backed by a fleet of modern vehicles equipped with the latest medical equipment.