MOH News

370.000 Pilgrims Benefited from the Health Awareness Missionaries Program over the Past Two Years
19 September 2015
As part of the plan set by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to boost health awareness of the targeted groups, the Health Awareness Missionaries Program announced that more than 370.000 pilgrims benefited from the program over the past two years. The number of educational brochures disseminated over the same period amounted to 226.000. And over 600 male and female volunteers were involved in the program.

Dr. Munirah Khaled Ba-Lahmar, head of Health Awareness Division, under the Public Health Department in Jeddah Health Affairs Directorate, and supervisor of the Health Awareness Missionaries Program, affirmed that 371.565 pilgrims benefited from the health awareness services provided by the Division at the Pilgrims City, in King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA), to be added to 30.750 pilgrims in their whereabouts in Makkah. She praised the role played by volunteering students (of both genders) in this regard, as well as representatives of Tawafa bodies organizations.

According to Ba-Lahmar, the Health Awareness Missionaries Program has organized several training courses for students, from which 600 students benefitted. These students came from Umm al-Qura Universit, al-Shefaa Institute, Makkah's International Academy for Health Sciences, al-Faraabi College, and Fakeeh College for Medical Sciences. Other training courses have been organized to volunteers from the Arab States Tawafa Organization (males and femals), and East Asia Tawafa Organization. 

Supervisor of the Health Awareness Missionaries Program mentioned that 214.737 health-awareness brochures have been disseminated to pilgrims arriving at KAIA. Besides, 11.584 brochures have been disseminated to pilgrims at their whereabouts in the Holy City of Makkah. "The program is meant to bolster pilgrims' health awareness directly, at their whereabouts, and in their own languages; in order for them to better understand and apply guidelines," said Dr. Ba-Lahmar.

She noted that the Health Awareness Missionaries Program has made remarkable quantum leaps since its launch in 1428 H. It managed to offer successful awareness programs and encourage health institutes and medical students to do voluntary work and take part in community activities, chief of which is serving pilgrims during Hajj season.     

She proclaimed that the program is essentially based on volunteer work from the said groups, who get training focused on 3 main aspects: communication skills, voluntary work code of conduct, and the awareness messages to be relied to pilgrims. 

Ba-Lahmar stated that this year, the program has offered a set of awareness programs for pilgrims and Tawafa organizations as follows:

Sunday, 22nd Dhul-Qa'dah: 17 female supervisors from Al-Manar and Al-Anhar campaigns received training to work with domestic pilgrims. Thrusday, 26th Dhul-Qa'dah: 50 female volunteers, from an Indian consulate voluntary program, received training at Al-Rayan dispensary hall in Jeddah. 

Saturday, 28th Dhul-Qa'dah: a training program was held for 60 guides of the Bangladeshi mission pilgrims at the mission's headquarters in Makkah. A meeting was conducted with the head of the Turkish medical mission and the head of Housing and Religious Affairs Committee at the Turkish medical mission's headquarters in Makkah; to introduce the program, its mechanisms, and samples of the statistics required. Additionally, 63 female supervisors from various campaigns received training to work with domestic pilgrims in Jeddah. 

Sunday, 29th Dhul-Qa'dah: 50 health educators from the Indonesian mission, including doctors, nurses and other healthcare specialists, received training at the mission's headquarters in Makkah. Besides, 20 female supervisors from different campaigns, and 50 members from Saudi Tawafa organizations in Jeddah received training.   

Ba-Lahmar said that on Monday, 30th Dhul-Qa'dah, the program team offered training to 80 health educators from the Filipino mission, including doctors and nurses at the mission's headquarters in Makkah, while the Somali mission received training on Tuesday, 1st Dhul-Hijjah.

For his part, the Assistant Director of Health Affairs for Public Health in Jeddah, Dr. Khalid Obeid Ba-Wakid, maintained that the Health Awareness Missionaries Program is followed upon by the Director-General of Jeddah Health Affairs, Dr. Mubark bin Hassan Assiri, who issued directions to intensify health awareness programs designed for pilgrims by Jeddah Health Affairs.  Ba-Wakid announced that a total of 3.326 pilgrims (Indian, Indonesian, Turkish, Pakistani, Arab, and African) benefited from the program and received health awareness at KAIA this year. On the other hand, as of Tuesday, 1-12- 1436 H, a total number of 38.565 pilgrims of all nationalities received services and health awareness programs brought by the Health Awareness Missionaries Program, at the airport and maritime port entry points.   

 



Last Update : 29 September 2015 01:26 PM
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