The Ministry of Health (MOH) had flocked 443 hospitalized pilgrims at the hospitals of the Holy Capital (Makkah), Holy Sites, and Madinah to Mount Arafat. The number of those who were flocked from the hospitals of Makkah and Holy Sites are 411 patients, as well as 32 patients from Madinah.
Meanwhile, the supervisor of the medical convoy, the Director of Mina Emergency Hospital, Dr. Ayman Yamani, pointed out that the Ministry of Health (MOH), as is the case every year, prepares a medical convoy, including a large fleet of buses, supported by physicians and nurses; with the goal of enabling the ill pilgrims to perform the Hajj amid fully fledged medical and curative care. In addition, it is accompanied by a number of ambulances, equipped with the latest medical, curative, medicinal, and nutritional devices, and staffed by specialized physicians.
Dr. Yamani added that this is among the MOH's efforts with regard to enabling the hospitalized pilgrims to perform their rituals and move among the Holy Sites. He also referred that the MOH, every year, provides a great deal of services for pilgrims whether through providing the health services or other services. For example, it provides medical convoys, including buses supported by medical crew and devices; to enable the hospitalized ill pilgrims to ascend the Holy Site of Arafat and complete their Hajj rituals.
In addition, the supervisor of the convoy pointed out that the ambulances necessary to move the pilgrims had gone from the King Fahad Hospital in Madinah and Makkah hospitals to the Holy Sites in coordination with the relevant authorities. He also referred that a specialized nurse was designated to accompany each patient.
For his part, Hajj Abdul-Jabar Abdul-Ghafar, one of those on board of the hospitalized ill pilgrims' convoy from the Mina hospitals to Arafat, within the flocking campaign carried out by the MOH, extended his thanks and gratitude to the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its meritorious services for the pilgrims, referring that he has not experienced such services before.
He went on adding that he had a traffic accident having him admitted to hospital and his pains and fears of not completing the Hajj rituals weighed upon him, only has such a suffering vanished with the guidance of Allah, then the efforts of the Kingdom's Government and MOH; which paid great attention to his case until his pains diminished and further ended his fears of not completing the Hajj. As such, he was included in the medical convoy and went today to complete his Hajj.
Another female pilgrim, Hajjah Saida Nazayfar; aging 40 years from India, expressed her happiness about completing the Hajj rituals in spite of the fact that she had undergone a cardiac surgery, praying Allah the Almighty to add this in the balance of the good deeds of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah ibn Abdul-Aziz.
And the Pakistani hajj Mohammed Abal, aging 80 years, said that he had suffered from abdominal problem and feared that he could not complete the Hajj; only then did the MOH intervene providing the necessary medical services; and moving him to Arafat via the medical convoy.
One more female Moroccan pilgrim recounted that she had gone on the Hajj accompanying her husband, and on the day of Tarwiyah (watering) while she was boarding the bus, she stumbled breaking her foot. Hence, she was hospitalized and found all the care and attention. And she added speaking with her husband along "I found the greatest attention, and I cannot help but say May Allah reward the King of this country and its leaders the best of all." And she went on adding" May Allah protect you, reward you the best of all, and protect your country."
As for Hajj Mohammed, Algerian said that he had sustained shortness of breath on the evening of Dhul-Hijjah 8th when one of the pathways was highly overcrowded; he was in company of a number of his fellows in the expedition but the overcrowding dispersed them. He recounted that after having shortness of breath; he passed out and only came around in hospital. And he went on, while being subjected to health control from two nurses in the convoy," the care I found is indescribable, and I cannot help but pray to you with all the good." However, he added that his health status is stable and has greatly improved, but physicians advised him to remain under treatment and until his status completely stabilizes.