MOH News

Al-Dekhail: Digital Cameras for Monitoring Food Safety during Hajj
25 October 2012
   The Supervisor General of Nutrition, and head of Hajj Nutrition Committee, Mr. Meshari Al-Dekhail, has announced that the nutrition sections at the Holy Sites' hospitals have been operated since very early to provide best-quality nutritional services for patients and those eligible to treatment (workers at the Holy Sites' health facilities during Hajj). Specialized cadres and competencies have been disseminated to locations: 60 specialists (of both genders) and nutrition technicians have been assigned to incur supervisory tasks related to nutrition at the Holy Sites' health facilities.
 
Dr. Al-Dekhail pointed out that this year witnesses, for the first time, introducing technical monitoring of food preparations places at hospitals' kitchens. This is intended to keep a close eye on the workflow at such places: food storage, preparation, and cooking. All such phases are monitored by digital cameras distributed to the places dedicated to storing and preparing clinical food. The number of these cameras mounts to over 75 cameras, transmitting audio and video data, installed to all the Holy Sites' hospitals (in Mina and Arafat), aiming to ensure the delivery of a safe, hot, delicious and healthy meal for patients and health workers. All cameras are connected to a control room at each hospital. And then data are transmitted, in turn, to a central control room at Mina Emergency Hospital to be reviewed by the head and members of the Hajj Nutrition Committee. Work methods are reviewed on a daily basis to assess health controls.
 
Dr. Al-Dekhail commended the new practices introduced this year for the first time, including serving optional meals for employees at dining halls (86855 meals), and providing refrigerator, including quarter-liter water bottles, at sections of the Holy Sites' hospitals. That's to be added to the cafeterias serving tea, coffee, etc., during working time, with a view to providing best services for health practitioners, thus helping them facilitate their mission in serving pilgrims.
 
According to Dr. Al-Dekhail, a therapeutic nutritionist has been tasked with monitoring the nutrition of patients hospitalized at the Holy Sites' hospitals, and preparing specialized meals concordant with their diseases, as well as determining the number of calories and items required for each case.
 
In addition, educational nutritional banners have been provided at each hospital, seeking to raise workers' health awareness with regard to food and nutrition issues. That's to be added to training over 500 health workers on the health requirements and safety procedures. Besides, signboards have been pinned out at kitchens, showing the ways of personal hygiene, so as to provide meals concordant with a health system that's accurate and efficient, thus gaining the beneficiary's satisfaction by providing him with a healthy, clean and delicious meal.
 



Last Update : 18 November 2012 04:47 PM
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