Dr. Munira Al-Osaimi, Assistant Undersecretary for Medical Services and Assistant Supervisor of Laboratories, Nursing and Nutrition in Hajj, pointed that the nursing committee during pilgrimage season this year has distributed workforce of nursing staff assigned to the holy sites among all the Ministry facilities in the holy sites. Some 5900 nurses were distributed during the pilgrimage season this year, including 3785 Saudis (2160 males and 1625 females).
Dr. Munira Al-Osaimi added that nursing managers have been linked with centers for distributing manpower in the holy sites to inquire about the nursing staff and to review and update the manual and policies of nursing work procedures related to the work and functions of nursing staff during pilgrimage season. They are also concerned with scheduling meetings of members of the Nursing Committee in nursing directorates in the holy sites, coordinating equipping hospitals and distributing workforce. Field training has been conducted by members of the Committee at the sites of the Nursing Association in health care centers to prepare for emergencies, Allah forbid!
Dr. Munira Al-Osaimi stated during a press conference that she held on Sunday in the emergency hospital in Mena that the nursing committee will contribute to transporting inpatient pilgrims, and ensuring that convoys communicate safely from the hospitals of Mecca and the holy sites to Arafat to complete the stages of pilgrimage.
She explained that the Nutrition Committee secured the necessary equipment for the preparation of modern kitchens in health facilities in the holy places, in line with the requirements of workflow, health conditions, safety and security. Contracts were concluded with companies specialized in the field of nutrition in hospitals to provide the best meals for workers and inpatients in the hospitals in holy sites, beside securing meals for ten sites of hospitals in the holy sites, amounting to more than 86.855 meals during the pilgrimage season. This is in addition to insuring meals for emergency field teams in the hospitals of the holy sites, and the direct supervision of the completion of nutrition work according to a specific plan set by nutrition specialists and technicians in the Ministry to be applied on nutrition contractors. It aims to ensure the application of the terms and conditions of contracts concerned with the provision of nutrition and follow-up on the nutrition of patients in health facilities in the holy sites. There are 58 nutrition specialists and technicians that have been nominated in accordance with the standards of specialized qualifications, competence and experience.
All employees working in cooking and serving meals were subject to medical examination before they started to work; to make sure they are free from infectious diseases and to issue them valid health certificates. They were 502 workers of different categories working in all the ten sites during the pilgrimage season. Health requirements were applied in cooking, preparation and storage sites, both in terms of labor or the quality of food.
Dr. Munira Al-Osaimi stated that this year and for the first time in the ministry's hospitals during the pilgrimage season, the ten sites were provided with surveillance cameras in all nutrition sections; to follow the workflow within the sites, stages of the preparation and completion of a meal and ensuring its safety.
She added that during the pilgrimage season the committee supervising laboratories and blood transfusion services has provided major emergency and diagnostic laboratory services in laboratories in the Holy sites for pilgrims. The Committee has also identified manpower of all categories nominated to work during the Hajj season and has set a certain work plan to transfer and distribute them according to work requirements. It has also arranged field trips to all laboratories in the hospitals of the Holy City and laboratories of the holy sites, in order to ensure their readiness and the elimination of any obstacles to work. It also ensured the availability of all blood products in different species according to the approved plan by the General Administration of laboratories and blood banks, where this year and for the first time blood donation campaigns were organized to raise the stock of blood products during the Hajj season.
Laboratories specialized in viral diseases, epidemics and detection of hemorrhagic fevers in Mecca, Jeddah, Medina and Dammam were provided with solutions, lab reagents and all supplies. This was done in order to confront any emergency during the pilgrimage season, God forbid, and to work on operating laboratory device and carrying out periodical maintenance. Quality programs are operated in laboratories in the holy sites and Mecca; in order to make sure of their full readiness, starting the beginning of Dhul-Qi’da 1433 AH. It also worked on providing the requirements of examination of toxins and drugs for bus drivers transporting pilgrims, the provision and distribution of laboratory equipment, ensuring the availability of solutions during the Hajj period, and the follow-up of the application of quality programs for laboratory devices.
Dr. Munira Al-Osaimi concluded her statements saying that an ambulance equipped to transport blood and blood products during the pilgrimage season was provided in order to be ready for any emergency, God forbid. Basic hospitals in some areas and governorates have been identified as a source of support to provide large numbers of blood and blood products in cases of emergency, God forbid!