MINA: The Kingdom has intensified security, medical and humanitarian services across Makkah and the holy sites during the peak days of Hajj, according to reports carried by the Saudi Press Agency.
The General Directorate of Passports said it deployed field teams across Makkah and the holy sites to identify hospitalized and lost pilgrims.
The teams are working in coordination with the Ministry of Health, while also cooperating with the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah’s Nusuk Care initiative to verify the identities of lost individuals.
Authorities said the teams are equipped with modern mobile technologies allowing officials to verify identities directly on site, with reports handled through the Hajj and Umrah command and control center in Makkah.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Arabian Scouts Association expanded its volunteer and field services to support pilgrim movement to Mina during the Day of Tarwiyah, deploying teams across roads, corridors and camps.
The scouts are providing guidance and humanitarian support, assisting the elderly and people with disabilities, and helping to reunite lost pilgrims with their groups, SPA reported.
More than 350 scouts and their leaders have been stationed across 14 hospitals and healthcare centers to support Ministry of Health teams.
The Saudi Red Crescent Authority also raised operational readiness to full capacity, intensifying emergency medical coverage across Makkah and the holy sites during the stoning ritual and Tawaf Al-Ifadah.
The authority’s emergency response plan includes fixed medical centers, rapid-response units, ambulance motorcycles, and pedestrian teams designed to reach patients quickly in densely crowded areas.
Authorities said ambulances equipped with advanced medical technologies and volunteer teams were operating in coordination with other government agencies serving pilgrims.
Separately, the Ministry of Defense said its medical evacuation department was participating in this year’s Hajj with four fully equipped aircraft dedicated to emergency transport for pilgrims.
The aircraft operate in direct coordination with field hospitals, medical centers and ambulance teams across the holy sites to ensure rapid response and timely treatment for critical cases.
The ministry said the air medical evacuation fleet also continues to conduct patient transfers within and outside the Kingdom as part of the integrated healthcare system supporting Hajj operations.
Saudi Arabia has deployed hundreds of thousands of personnel and volunteers during Hajj 2026 as the Kingdom oversees one of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings.
Authorities have expanded infrastructure, crowd-management systems, emergency response capabilities and digital services in recent years to improve pilgrim safety and facilitate movement between Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah during the pilgrimage season.
