The Minister of Health Dr. Hamad bin Abdullah Al-Mane said MOH expends about 100 million Saudi Riyals yearly on providing health care to pilgrims. He said all preparations have been accomplished for the coming Hajj season, including manpower, health facilities, and medicines.
Al-Mane, who was speaking during a press conference held yesterday in presence of the heads of Hajj committees, revealed that health care is provided to pilgrims through 24 hospitals in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah and the sacred shrines with an overall bed capacity exceeding 4000 beds. Moreover, a total of 124 primary health care centers and 150 highly equipped ambulances are carefully distributed throughout the sacred shrines.
"We are striving to maintain the high quality of the services provided during the last season and, therefore, mobilized above 10 thousand people for the current season, including physicians, technicians, and supporting staff", he said.
According to Al-Mane, MOH has recruited 100 physicians from Pakistan and Jordan, in addition to 247 female nurses from Malaysia.
As for the precautions taken for confronting epidemic diseases, he said MOH is carefully monitoring epidemic diseases in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO). "We are aware that some epidemic diseases, such as cholera and yellow fever, are endemic in some African countries", he said. "We follow the guidelines we receive from WHO for such cases", he added.
He said MOH has set comprehensive plans for controlling the entry of epidemic and microscopic diseases which are subject to the health regulations of the World Health Organization. "Vaccines are available at the different openings and the source countries are provided with drugs", he said.
He said MOH Hajj plan has been set to prevent outspreading of epidemic and contagious diseases, whether during Hajj days or afterwards. "MOH applies the health terms on all pilgrims coming from abroad", he said. "All of them are subjected to careful checkups at the openings for making sure they are not affected by epidemic or contagious diseases", he said.
He said MOH concentrates also on a highly equipped emergency plan for confronting any emergencies when pilgrims flock to the Holy Mosque after accomplishing Jamarat rituals.
"MOH has studied carefully the shortcomings of the last Hajj season", he said. "A number of rehabilitational and new projects have been implemented at the different Hajj locations, with special concentration on the sacred shrines".
Dr. Al-Mane valued greatly the efforts of female personnel working within the Hajj teams, notifying that they have proved to be highly dedicated and competent.