Makkah: The Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs has confirmed the arrival of all members of the medical unit accompanying the Qatari Hajj mission to Saudi Arabia, in preparation for providing comprehensive healthcare to pilgrims from Qatar during the current Hajj season.
According to Qatar News Agency, the Ministry stated that the medical unit includes a group of the most qualified doctors, nurses, paramedics, and pharmacists in various specialties, including internal medicine, cardiology, communicable diseases, emergency medicine, and ear, nose, and throat (ENT), in addition to ambulance and nursing staff.
The Ministry highlighted that an international-spec ambulance has been equipped to the highest medical standards to accompany the mission, ensuring the highest levels of safety and healthcare for the country's pilgrims. It emphasized that the medical unit's work plan is not limited to presence at residences or clinics only, but includes accompanying pilgrims throughout all stages of their rituals, including the departure from Arafat, the overnight stay in Muzdalifah, and then the journey to Mina to throw the pebbles at the Jamarat, ensuring a rapid response to emergency cases and the provision of immediate medical assistance.
Head of the Medical Unit Dr. Khaled Abdel Hadi stated that this year's medical mission has been strengthened by a strategic partnership with the Saudi German Hospital in Makkah Al Mukarramah to provide advanced medical services to pilgrims from Qatar in emergency cases, giving them priority in receiving treatment. He noted that the unit has been staffed with the hospital's most skilled medical personnel to strengthen the medical team.
Work is underway, in coordination with the relevant health authorities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to complete the preparation of medical clinics in the holy sites of Mina and Arafat within the next two days, ready to receive patients and provide immediate and direct healthcare. Comprehensive plans have also been developed to provide healthcare services in Muzdalifah.
The relevant medical personnel, headed by the head of the medical unit and pharmacy and nursing staff, arrived in Makkah early to complete the technical preparations for the mission's clinics. This was done in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health, Hamad Medical Corporation, the Primary Health Care Corporation, and the Hajj and Umrah Affairs Department at the Ministry of Endowments, as key partners in the service system provided to pilgrims. This was also done in coordination with Saudi medical authorities.
The medical clinics at the Qatari Hajj Mission headquarters in Makkah received official licensing from the Saudi Ministry of Health in recent days following a field visit by the specialized delegation, which commended the clinics' compliance with all necessary requirements and standards. All medical staff members were also officially accredited and licensed to practice within the Kingdom, marking the commencement of operations and their readiness to receive patients and visitors from Qatari pilgrims. The clinics include specialized emergency departments, isolation rooms, and clinics for men and women, fully equipped with all necessary treatments and medications, and are open 24 hours a day throughout the Hajj season.