The Assistant Deputy Minister of Health for Supportive Medical Services and Chairwoman of Supportive Medical Services Committee during Hajj (Nursing, Nutrition, Forensic Medicine and Pharmacy), Dr. Munirah bint HemdanAl-Osaimi, explained that the nursing committee for this year's Hajj has distributed manpower of seconded nursing staff to all of the Ministry's facilities in the Holy Sites. More than 5695 male and female nurses will serve in this year's Hajj season, 1436H, including 3895 Saudis, at a ratio of 68.39%.
Dr. Munirah Al-Osaimi pointed out, during a press conference that MOH has reviewed and updated Hajj guide and policies of nursing work procedures. Meetings for members of nursing committee are scheduled with directors of nursing in the Holy Sites. The ministry is also done with equipping hospitals and distributing manpower. In addition, a field training has been conducted in preparation for emergencies, Allah forbid.
Al-Osaimi said that, at the end of every Hajj season, the nursing and nutrition committees start preparations for the next season, through training of the manpower and distributing them as needed. She stated that the percentage of Saudi workers in the Hajj is on the increase from year to year, indicating that the selection of workers is based on the required efficiency and work experiences. She pointed out that the nursing committee will participate in transporting inpatient pilgrims and ensuring that convoys travel safely from the hospitals of Makkah 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 Sites, 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, besides securing meals for eight sites of hospitals in the Holy Sites. This is in addition to securing 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 132 nutrition specialists and technicians that have been nominated in accordance with the standards of specialized qualifications, competence and experience.
All workers responsible for preparing and serving meals are subjected to medical examination before starting their work, to make sure they are free from infectious diseases. They are also required to show a valid health certificate as per their work categories, in all the ten sites during Hajj season, and application of the health requirements at cooking, preparation and storage places, either with regard to the workforce or food items and their quality.