RIYADH — More than 5,200 beds across 25 hospitals in the Kingdom have been made available for pilgrims during this year's Haj season, according to the Ministry of Health. “Out of these 4,200 beds are for patients, 500 for intensive care unit and 550 are for emergency wards. The hospitals are located in several areas that cover most locations pilgrims will be in,” the ministry's general director of hospitals, Abdulaziz Al-Ghamdi, said. He added there will be seven hospitals ready to receive pilgrims in Makkah. “There are four hospitals in Mina, four in Arafat and nine in Madinah, Al-Ghamdi said. “There is also King Abdullah Medical City which has a rescue program to treat pilgrims with serious condition.” He also said there are 155 first aid centers that will be open at various times for pilgrims. Al-Ghamdi said the first aid centers would supplement hospital services, as the ministry is aware that hospitals alone will not be enough to quickly handle local emergency cases. The ministry has established a supervisory committee to ensure sound performance at hospitals and health institutions during the Haj season. “The committee consists of medical and technical experts to make sure all equipment installed are functioning and the health institutions do not run out of supplies and resources,” Al-Ghamdi said. “The ministry also ensures the availability of a medical team to deal with burns and bruises as quickly as possible.” — SG