Dr. Ziad Memish, the Deputy Minister of Health for Public Health, said that coronavirus is no danger to pilgrims, adding that, so far, the general health condition of pilgrims is safe. He said there were no epidemic diseases among pilgrims this year.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has been implementing the action plan of the health supervision centers this season on all Saudi Arabia's 16 entry points, including land ports, seaports and airports.
These entry points are gates for health supervision and a first defense line to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
Dr. Memish asserted the entry points include the health supervision centers at King Abdullah International Airport – Jeddah, Prince Mohamed bin Abdulaziz International Airport of Madinah, Jeddah Islamic Port and Yanboa' Port.
There are other health supervision centers on main roads leading Hajj sites. These centers include Halat Ammar, Al-Haditha at the Qurayyat Governorate, Salwa and Bathaa in Ihsaa, Roqaa in Hafr Al Batin, Gadida Arar, Elab in Asir, Khadra' at Najran and King Fahd Bridge in the Eastern Province. Additionally, a clinic at the housing of Al-Hujjaj Town at Jeddah, a seasonal health centre at Al Madinah, and Al Hijra Seasonal Health Centre – are operational.
Dr. Memish said the services offered by the centers include spreading health awareness and the distribution of educational material to pilgrims. The centers also offer televised programs in different languages to raise awareness. The centers will be operational until Muharram 15 offering health and ambulatory services to all pilgrims, thereby helping them till they go back to their homelands. All pilgrims entering the Kingdom through the different ports and the services offered to them will be registered and monitored.
Dr. Memish pointed out that the Ministry has provided the health supervision centers with the required medications, food, medical and non-medical equipment, and ambulances to transfer patients to hospitals where advanced services are available, and provided the centers with qualified staff to operate them round the clock during the Hajj season.
He stressed the necessity to apply all health requirements on incoming pilgrims, especially those coming from countries with high rates of epidemic diseases to prevent any infectious disease through a variety of actions, including prior vaccination in homelands. Pilgrims should have international certificates of vaccination for yellow fever and meningitis and those who had not been vaccinated should be re-vaccinated. They also should get preventive treatment, aid and therapeutic emergency. The food coming with pilgrims is also being checked for validity.
Such procedures include also the coordination with the veterinary quarantine department of the Ministry of Agriculture to spot infectious incoming animals and birds of all kinds.
He said the Ministry this year intends to focus on preventive health services, and therapy and ambulance support provided at all health centers around the Kingdom. That guarantees the implementation of technical controls and quarantine rules at the means of transport, on pilgrims and on imported food to save the Kingdom, God willing, from incoming infectious disease.