RIYADH: MD RASOOLDEEN
Saturday 20 October 2012

As hundreds of thousands of Haj pilgrims arrive in the holy city of Makkah for the annual pilgrimage, the Ministry of Health advised all pilgrims to avoid exposure to midday sun to prevent themselves from heat strokes due to dehydration.

“We advise pilgrims to stay indoors during the period of overhead sun to prevent them from problems such as stress, heat stroke and dehydration,” Director General of Health Affairs in Makkah Khaled Zafar said yesterday. He added it is also advisable to avoid congestion in the crowd to prevent respiratory diseases.
While insisting on wearing face mask during the performance of Haj rituals, the official urged pilgrims to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration and told them to take extra care of their food during their stay in the Kingdom.

“We have completed all arrangements at the health facilities for Haj pilgrims in the holy city of Makkah, and we are ready to face any emergency health situation within the holy area,” Zafar said.

The director general pointed out that the Ministry of Health is working through a network of hospitals and primary health care centers to treat the guests of Allah in the best possible manner.

Aside from eight hospitals in Makkah, he said, there are nine specialized hospitals to look after the health of the pilgrims. These facilities have around 3,000 beds, in addition to 100 primary health care centers and 40 centers in Makkah. The services of King Abdullah Medical City will also be available for pilgrims in rare and specialized disciplines such as cardiovascular, neuro, renal, eye, liver and malignant diseases.

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