The Supervisor-General of the Hajj and Umrah Health Services General Department of the Ministry of Health (MOH), Dr. Hussein Abdullah Ghannam noted that the Saudi Arabia holds the distinction over the entire world's states of annually setting up three fully service-provided cities in each of Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah.
They are to serve over two million Hajj performers staying in some of them for few hours.
In the meantime, he pointed out that the MOH participates as part of the state's general plan aiming at operating these three cities.
They accommodate for eight hospitals and 80 health centers distributed all over the Holy Sites; in order to deliver the free health services at their various levels, as well as the King Abdullah City which provides the specialized health services for these Hajj performers.
He went on to add that the Ministry of Health (MOH), this year, has prepared 25 hospitals: 4 in Arafat, 4 in Mina, 7 in the Holy Capital, 9 in Madinah, in addition to the King Abdullah Medical City.
To that effect, the number of inpatient beds in the hospitals of the Hajj area amounts to 5250 ones: 4200 beds in the specialized sections, 500 beds in the intensive care units, 550 beds in emergency sections.
These hospitals are backed up with 141 permanent and seasonal health centers in the Hajj areas: 43 health centers in the Holy Capital, 80 health centers in the Holy Sites: 46 in Arafat, 6 along the Muzdalifah walkway, and 28 in Mina; 12 health centers in Madinah, as well as 17 emergency health centers along The Jamaraat Bridge.
Within the same vein, the MOH, this year, is keen on expanding the Cardiac Catheterization and Cardiac Surgery Operations Program in the King Abdullah Medical City of the Holy Capital and hospitals of the Hajj areas.
It is further interested in advancing and improving the services provided in the intensive care sections of the Hajj areas and providing the digestive system endoscopes in all the Holy Sites' hospitals, as well as dialysis machines.
Meanwhile, he remarked that the Holy Sites' hospitals were established according to the highest standards and quality. And they operate for hours or few days, this in turn guarantees providing health services at the highest levels of various specialties.
He also made clear that this year, 50 small additional ambulances were provided; to boost up the field medicine services in the crowded places. They are to work alongside 80 big ambulances.
All the more, 95 small ambulances for the field medicine were provided; they were staffed by a crew made up of 105 physicians and 242 nurses. And the emergency complex in Mai'asm was up and running with the aim of accommodating for the death cases resulting from disasters.
In addition to this, helicopter airstrips were prepared in the health facilities; in order to transport the illness cases during the Hajj season to Hiraa Hospital, Al-Noor Hospital, Arafat General Hospital, and Mina Emergency Hospital, as well as the King Abdullah Medical City in the Holy Capital.
He drew attention to the fact that the Ministry of Health (MOH) works on fighting and treating sunstrokes during the next years as the Hajj season will coincide with summer season. He also added that the MOH, this year, provided cooling devices such as cooling blankets with which some field cases are treated; in order to relieve pressure over hospitals.
He noted that each year, the MOH prepares a medical convoy to ascend the inpatients detained in Makkah and Madinah hospitals to the Holy Site of Arafat.
This comes as part of its humanitarian services aiming to enable the sick hajj performers to perform the Hajj rites. They are accompanied by self-contained medical team. And to that effect, the number of patients ascended from Madinah to the Holy Sites reached 23 ones.
They were transported by ambulances related to the Ministry of Health (MOH), and were accompanied by the medical cadres including a physician and a nurse for each patient.
As regards delivering free services for the Hajj performers during their residing in the Saudi Arabia, he emphasized that the previous years witnessed some illness cases that require having a Hajj performer detained for the longest time possible, during which they are treated through the medical devices until their condition improves and depart for their country.