MADINAH — A total of nine pilgrims who were admitted in Madinah hospitals have been transported to Makkah to perform Hajj. A convoy of the Ministry of Health consisting of 14 ambulances had set off from King Salman Medical City in Madinah at 5 a.m. on Tuesday on their way to the Holy Sites in Makkah carrying the pilgrims. The convoy included 14 ambulances carrying pilgrims and the equipment and facilities for them, an intensive care ambulance, an integrated oxygen cabin, a mobile first aid workshop and a bus. A total of 60 medical staffers accompanied the pilgrims in the convoy. The MoH was operating the convoy service for the transportation of sick pilgrims from the hospitals of Madinah to Makkah after a hiatus of two years during which the foreign pilgrims were not able to come to perform Hajj due to the coronavirus pandemic travel restrictions. The Madinah Health Cluster, under the supervision of Madinah Emir Prince Faisal Bin Salman, had completed, from an early date, all the preparations and procedures for grouping pilgrims, and that is in coordination with the concerned authorities. The Ministry of Health stated earlier that the number of pilgrims who received treatment through hospitals and health centers in Makkah and Madinah reached 43,425 pilgrims during the period from Muharram 11 to Dhul Hijjah 4. The Ministry of Health has made elaborate arrangement to provide the best medical facilities and services for the pilgrims in Makkah, Madinah and the Holy Sites. The health facilities included 23 hospitals and 147 health centers with a capacity of 4,654 beds. The number of beds designated for intensive care is 1,080, while 238 beds are dedicated to treat sunstroke cases. The number of health practitioners deployed to serve the pilgrims accounts for 25,000.
