MOH News

MOH Underlines Application of Health Requirements on Arrivals for this Year's Hajj
08 September 2015
 The Ministry of Health (MOH) has reiterated of the importance of applying its preventive and curative health requirements on arrivals for this year's Hajj, via land, sea and air ports, properly and as planned, as well as on workers at Jeddah Islamic Port. The MOH continues to enforce strict measures and health requirements in order to prevent transmission of any infectious diseases into Saudi Arabia, by means of obligating all preventive and precautionary preconditions prescribed by the MOH. These include examining all arrivals to ensure they are in good health, as well as checking their vaccination cards, and giving them all the preventive treatment against the cerebral meningitis pathogen.
 
The Director of the Health Surveillance Center at Jeddah Islamic Port, Dr. Adel bin Muhammad Turkestani, said that the port is expected to receive about 46,000 persons during this year's Hajj, 1436H, of whom 15,000 are pilgrims and 2,000 seasonal workers. It is projected that about 4,000 persons, whether pilgrims, passengers, sailors or workers at the port will receive therapeutic services at the center. He pointed out that work teams have been formed, covering all medical, preventive and technical specialties, totaling more than 100 specialists to do their assigned jobs in each of: Ship Release Technical Office, Medical Center at the Arrival Terminal and Emergency Clinic at the Departure Terminal, as well as committees handling health awareness, environment health, administrative and technical follow-up and documentation of all activities through the Information and Statistics Committee of .
 
Dr. Turkestani went on to say that, in line with the MOH approach, precautionary measures have been applied on sailors. The measures include preventing them from leaving the port until after a doctor sees them to make sure of their safety from infectious diseases. He said that the measures, in addition to monitoring the pilgrims and arrivals through the port, also include examining the sailors and sending them to doctors at the Health Surveillance Center of the Jeddah Islamic Port, to ensure a higher level of health protection for pilgrims. He added that rooms have been allocated for isolation of cases suspected with epidemic or infectious diseases. Also, the Center is fully ready to do on-site radiological testing, if needed, for passengers or workers at the port.
 
He added that the Health Surveillance Center carries out several activities through a clear work plan, under the direct supervision of the Director of Jeddah Health Affairs, Dr. Mubarak bin Hassan Zafir. These include securing all necessary medicines in adequate quantities, and all necessary medical requirements, both at the port and on board of ships, and ensuring their safety. The center examines all medical equipment, including radiology devices and their accessories to ensure their safety and efficiency, and conducting the required preventive maintenance on them, in addition to launching a vaccination campaign against seasonal flu and meningitis for all workers in different sectors of the port, and educating them on the infectious diseases and ways of protection. Also, the Center ensures commitment of ships to the international health regulations, taking the necessary measures on detecting violations. Moreover, health-awareness messages are delivered to pilgrims by disseminating CDs to all passenger ships to be played throughout the journey.
 
Concluding his statement, Dr. Adel Turkestani, the director of the Health Surveillance Center at Jeddah Islamic Airport, expressed his thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Crown Prince, and the Deputy Crown Prince, for the unlimited support for serving the Guests of Allah. He also lauded the efforts of the MOH officials, and their keen interest in the safety of pilgrims, as well as the efforts exerted by the Center's employees in carrying out the approved preventive measures, praying for Allah Almighty, to preserve this country and help its leaders to serve Islam and Muslims.
 
 
 



Last Update : 10 September 2015 02:23 PM
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