RIYADH — The Ministry of Health has announced its readiness to provide pilgrims with the best preventive, diagnostic and emergency healthcare services. Speaking at a press conference here Monday, Dr. Muhammad Khushaim, Deputy Minister of Health for Planning and Development, said a new hospital has been opened east of Arafat to provide the required medical services to the pilgrims this Haj. “The 236-bed hospital has been built as per the highest international standards. It has 50 beds in its Intensive Care Unit, and 30 beds to deal with emergency cases, “he said. “One hundred sixty-six healthcare facilities spread in Makkah, Madinah and other holy sites will be enough to cover all the pilgrims. These facilities include 25 hospitals with a capacity of 5,250 beds (20 percent for intensive care and emergencies) and 141 primary healthcare centers,” he added. “Around 20,000 healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, paramedics, technicians and administrators have been mobilized to serve pilgrims at these facilities. In Jeddah, and all air, sea and land ports of entries latest and modern surveillance measures have been put in place to monitor any unusual health condition among arriving pilgrims,” he pointed out. Further, to cater to the needs of specialized needs of pilgrims, he said, a heart surgery unit at King Abdullah Medical City in Makkah has been provided with the latest state-of art equipment,” Dr. Khushaim said. He added that more than 16,000 blood units have been secured to use them in case of injuries and operations, while more than 175 ambulance vehicles have been mobilized.
