His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region, received the Minister of Health, H.E. Fahad Abdulrahman AlJalajel, at the Governorate headquarters in Jeddah today.
During the meeting, His Highness was briefed on the Ministry of Health's operational readiness for the Hajj 1446 season. The Ministry has mobilized over 50,000 medical and technical professionals to serve pilgrims, marking a 60% increase in hospital bed capacity compared to the previous year.
Preparations also include the establishment of a new 200-bed emergency hospital in Mina, the launch of three additional field hospitals with a combined capacity of over 1,200 beds, 71 emergency points, 900 ambulances, 11 air ambulances, and more than 7,500 paramedics deployed across the holy sites.
The Deputy Governor also received a briefing on the Virtual Health Hospital, which continues to provide high-quality remote healthcare services. The platform integrates sensor technology to monitor chronic disease patients and delivers virtual medical consultations, supporting faster response times and broader access to care.
As of the third day of Dhul-Hijjah, more than 81,000 pilgrims have benefited from healthcare services. These included 11 open-heart surgeries, 120 cardiac catheterizations, and the hospitalization of 3,515 pilgrims.
Additionally, His Highness reviewed the multilingual health awareness kit developed by the Ministry in eight languages, aimed at enhancing health literacy and promoting preventive care among pilgrims.