60 Saudi specialists and technicians affiliating to the Ministry of Health (MOH) oversee the meals provided for pilgrims hospitalized in the Holy Sites’ hospitals and the delegated officials during the Hajj season of this year.
Ali Hassani, a nutrition technician delegated by the King Saud Medical City in Riyadh to serve pilgrims, affirmed that he and his colleagues are keen to provide nutrition services for the delegated officials and hospitalized patients according to the highest specifications, expressing his pride and pleasure for serving pilgrims.
Hassani further highlighted that their tasks are varied, including control of cooking and preparation of foods, as well as supervision of distribution of meals to pilgrims as instructed by physicians, affirming that 10 varieties of foods are provided and each patient has a certain meal.
Finally, Hassani remarked that there are also special meals for intensive care patients.
Ahmad Zaidi, an employee in Taif Health Affairs General Directorate, also expressed his pleasure for serving pilgrims, stressing that their tasks mainly target supervising the preparation and distribution of meals in the proper health way, and evaluating works in general, through the field monitoring of kitchens and surveillance cameras, in an endeavor to ensure the safety of foods offered to patients and officials delegated to serve them.
For his part, the Supervisor General of Nutrition and Head of the Hajj Nutrition Committee, Mr. Meshari Al-Dekhail, has announced that the nutrition services provided for officials and inpatients are prepared according to the highest standards of quality and under supervision of nutrition specialists through ten locations within the Holy Sites’ hospitals, stressing that there are 75 surveillance cameras to monitor the foods provided for patients in the Holy Sites.
Mr. Al-Dekhail further pointed out that 15000 meals are provided daily across the different locations, both in Mina and Arafat, through implementation of a distinctive and well-controlled time plan.
Mr. Al-Dekhail also disclosed that the Ministry offers the feeding tubes to patients in hospitals, especially those in the intensive care units, affirming that more than 10 varieties of such kind of nutrition are provided.
Finally, Mr. Al-Dekhail highlighted that the MOH follows up the health condition of these inpatients nutritionally in order to provide the meals appropriate for their health conditions.