Health services for pilgrims: More than one million services and reassuring cases
The official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Mr. Abdulaziz Abdulbaqi, affirmed that the healthcare system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is fully prepared to provide the best possible health services to pilgrims, in accordance with the directives of the wise leadership, which prioritizes the health and safety of the pilgrims during the 1447 AH Hajj season. He explained during the second press briefing for the Hajj season that these efforts aim to enable pilgrims to perform their rituals with security, peace of mind, and ease.
A historical development in the care of the pilgrims
Historically, medical care during Hajj seasons is not a recent development, but rather the culmination of decades of continuous planning and development led by the Kingdom. Since the founding of the Saudi state, Mecca and the Holy Sites have witnessed tremendous advancements, from simple field clinics to the construction of integrated medical cities and mobile hospitals equipped with the latest global technologies. This historical legacy reflects a firm commitment to harnessing all human and material resources to ensure the safety of the millions of pilgrims who flock annually from all corners of the earth.
Statistics on health services for pilgrims this year
Regarding the current situation, the official spokesperson revealed that the health system has provided over 1,095,000 health services to pilgrims as of the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah. These figures include more than 292,000 preventative services, while emergency departments received over 28,800 patients. He added that more than 41,000 pilgrims benefited from health center and urgent care services, in addition to receiving over 4,000 patients in outpatient clinics, while ambulance teams handled more than 76,000 emergency cases.
sedation and delicate surgical procedures
Abdulbaqi explained that the number of hospital admissions exceeded 4,000. In response to the needs of pilgrims, the 937 call center received approximately 120,000 calls and health-related inquiries. As a culmination of these advanced medical efforts, 222 cardiac catheterizations, 13 open-heart surgeries, and more than 318 other surgical procedures were performed, all within a comprehensive healthcare system operating around the clock to serve the pilgrims.
Global impact and success in crowd management
The Kingdom's success in providing this exceptional care extends far beyond its local scope, reaching regionally and internationally. Locally, this success enhances the efficiency of the health and security infrastructure. Regionally, it sends a reassuring message to the entire Muslim world about the Kingdom's ability to care for its citizens. Internationally, the World Health Organization and other global health bodies view the Saudi experience in "mass gathering medicine" as a leading model to be emulated in managing large human gatherings without any recorded epidemics or disease outbreaks. This was confirmed by the official spokesperson, who stated that the overall health of the pilgrims is reassuring, stable, and safe, thanks to God and then to the proactive efforts.
Preventing heat stress and ensuring a safe Hajj environment
During this year's Hajj, the health system focused on promoting the concept of "healthy capacity" by implementing strict preventive measures and programs. Regarding heat stress, 28 cases of heat exhaustion among pilgrims were successfully managed according to approved health protocols. All pilgrims made a full recovery, thanks be to God, and continued performing their rituals in good health. To mitigate these cases, the Ministry of Health, in cooperation with relevant authorities, implemented proactive plans that included expanding shaded areas, increasing water distribution points and coolers, deploying misting fans, and increasing landscaping and improving the surrounding environment. This contributed to providing a more comfortable and safer atmosphere during the Hajj rituals.
