His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Tawfig bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah announced that this year's Hajj, 1437H is free from epidemic and quarantine diseases. This came during a press conference he held today afternoon at Mina Emergency Hospital, and full text of the statement is as follows:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Praise be to Allah and peace be upon His Prophet, Muhammad, his family and companions.
We thank Allah and commend Him on the great virtues that enabled pilgrims to perform the fifth pillar of Islam in safe and security.
In implementation of the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Crown Prince and the Deputy Crown Prince, may Allah protect them, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has mobilized its human, material and technical capabilities to provide pilgrims with its preventive, curative, ambulatory and awareness services, in realization of its great responsibility towards them so they can perform their rites easily and comfortably.
This year the MOH has prepared itself with the followings:
- 25 hospitals in Makkah, holy sites and Madinah, 158 health centers and 26,000 health and administrative practitioners.
- Inauguration of Al-Harm Emergency Hospital, with a capacity of 20 beds, at the central area around the Haram.
- Development of 10 health centers at Arafat.
- Expansion and development of sunstrokes rooms in 6 hospitals.
- Creation of an evacuation zone in Jamarat for foot teams.
- Implementation of health requirements and intensification works of early epidemic control, through 15 health control centers at borders. Health teams have provided vaccine and preventive treatment against meningitis and polio for more than 690,000 pilgrims.
The intensified health awareness programs earlier this year and carrying out field trips have played a big role in reducing cases of sunstrokes and heat exhaustion.
Through this strategy developed by the MOH for this year, and at the end of the Hajj season, we have achieved the following figures (from Dhu al-Qi'dah 11th - Dhu al-Hijjah 12th, 1437H):
Total number of incoming patients more than 400,000, cardiac catheterization operations 306, open heart operations 27, kidney dialysis 1730, total number of hospitalized patients who have been transferred to Arafat 300, heat exhaustion 329 and sunstrokes 86.
Therefore, I am pleased to announce today the statement of the health committee, including that this year’s Hajj, 2016 is safe and free from epidemic and quarantine diseases.
At the conclusion, I pray for Almighty Allah to protect the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Crown Prince and the Deputy Crown Prince, to perpetuate for this country its security and stability and bestow his blessings upon its peoples and to accept pilgrims’ Hajj and return them to their countries healthily and safely.
Peace and Allah’s blessings be upon you.