- Two separate hospitals in Makkah and Madinah have been set up with 180 doctors
- Patients with complex diseases are referred to Saudi hospitals where they get free treatment
ISLAMABAD: A dedicated team of doctors and paramedics from Pakistan has been providing round-the-clock, free of cost medical services to Pakistani Hajj pilgrims in collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Health, officials said on Sunday.
This year, a total of 200,000 Pakistanis are performing Hajj, a one-time religious ritual mandatory for all Muslims who can afford it. The annual pilgrimage to Makkah is believed to be the world’s largest gathering of its kind, with over two million Muslims attending from across the globe.
“We have deployed fully equipped teams of doctors and paramedics here in Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah to provide timely medical care to our pilgrims,” Pakistan’s director for Hajj, Tariq Mahmood, told Arab News.
He said the Pakistan Hajj medical mission had set up a 35-bed hospital in Makkah and a 10-bed facility in Madinah. In total, the Hajj mission is staffed with 180 doctors including 45 women doctors.
There are other medical personnel as well, including more than 100 nurses, paramedics and dispensers.
The Hajj mission hospital is fully equipped with a state-of-the-art laboratory, x-ray machine, pharmacy and dentistry, Mahmood said, adding that nine dispensaries have also been set up near the pilgrims’ accommodation.
Dr. Asif Ali, head of Pakistan’s Hajj medical mission, said that this year, the number of ambulances have been increased from 9 vehicles to 18, to deal with any emergency.
“We are providing medical care to more than five hundred patients daily,” he said.
It can be assumed this number will spike higher as more pilgrims arrive.
Patients who come in with severe and complicated disorders and diseases, Ali said, are referred to Saudi hospitals where they are provided free treatment.
“We are thankful to the Saudi government for providing the best medical facilities to Hajj pilgrims,” he added.
Pakistan’s Hajj pilgrims include elderly people, pregnant women and people with chronic diseases like diabetes, asthma, hypertension and cardiac issues who require regular check-ups and treatment during their stay in Makkah and Madinah.
“All public and private hospitals of Saudi Arabia remain fully manned during the Hajj season to provide timely medical care to pilgrims of all nationalities,” Dr. Khalid Abbas Asadi, a doctor at the Dr. Hamid Sulaiman Al-Ahmadi Hospital for 32 years, told Arab News.
He advised Hajj pilgrims to consume the maximum amount of water and fluids during the day, and get proper sleep. He also asked those with pre-existing medical conditions to take their medicines regularly.
“All Hajj pilgrims are accorded a status of VVIP guest here in Saudi Arabia, therefore it is our foremost duty to take care of them and provide them with all facilities, including medical care,” Asadi said.