The Ministry of Health (MOH) has further intensified its preparations and readiness of its health facilities to provide healthcare services to pilgrims during Hajj season of 1440H; from the time they enter the Kingdom via land, sea and air ports and arrival in Madinah, Makkah and holy sites, up to their departure for their homelands. These services include: preventive, therapeutic and emergency services in coordination with the concerned authorities, as well as support technical services and developmental services.
For the provision of the preventive services, MOH is implementing the public health program by assigning a number of qualified physicians and technicians at the health control centers of different air, land and sea ports, and in Makkah, Madinah and holy sites, as well as other administrative and labor staff. MOH has assigned 2,600 health practitioners at the health control centers of the ports of entry and Hajj areas. These centers are: the health control centers at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Jeddah Islamic Port, Prince Muhammad bin Abdulaziz Airport in Madinah, the seven land ports, Makkah and Holy Sites Public Health Department and Madinah Public Health Department.
MOH's strategies to serve the guests of Allah include ensuring their compliance with the health requirements in their countries before obtaining Hajj visa, particularly in the countries with endemic infectious diseases. These requirements include: taking vaccination against meningitis, yellow fever and polio. Also, MOH provides preventive and therapeutic services at the Kingdom's ports of entry including three airports, two sea ports and seven land ports. It also provides health awareness messages to pilgrims.
It is to be noted that MOH focuses on full cooperation and coordination with the medical missions, the affiliates of the Hajj affairs offices in all countries, to follow the health requirements, to provide health awareness and education in different languages, to protect pilgrims, citizens and residents from infectious diseases. It also focuses on the epidemiological surveillance, through early monitoring of cases and timely treatment according to the highest infection control standards in order to control the epidemiological situation during and after Hajj to prevent infiltration and spread of any infectious disease.