JEDDAH — With the first flight of Indonesian Haj pilgrims is about to land in Madinah, the Haj Affairs Section of the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah has made early preparations by organizing, among others, a three-day orientation program for Haj service personnel.

As many as 891 locally recruited personnel, 822 officers from the Indonesian Religious Affairs Ministry and 169 medical staff from the Health Ministry attended the program. They are deployed in Madinah, Jeddah and Makkah to assist the pilgrims.

They were briefed about the general policies of Saudi government on Haj, the "dos and don'ts" for Haj pilgrimage, and air transportation management as well as ground services upon the pilgrims' arrival at the airport.

In his opening remarks, Mohamad Hery Saripudin, the Indonesian consul general, stated that the Indonesian government was exerting its utmost efforts in stepping up the services to make its pilgrims more comfortable and focused in performing Haj.

Hery called on the Haj officers to deliver the best services to the guests of Allah by knowing well their profile, saying that of 221,000 pilgrims, over 98.37 percent are coming for the first time to perform Haj.

Another challenge for the officers on the ground, Hery said, the Indonesian pilgrims are predominantly the elderly people, who pose health risks. "So, the service must be delivered with a high level of patience and empathy, especially on the peak days of the Haj rituals, when temperature is expected to reach between 48 to 50 degrees Celsius," he said.

Earlier, the Saudi government in coordination with Indonesian authorities started implementing immigration preclearance facility for Indonesian pilgrims from the embarkation points of the home country. The facility enables the pilgrims to bypass this procedure upon arrival in Saudi Arabia, which will reduce the waiting time at the airport.

Another breakthrough, Hery added, is increasing catering services for the pilgrims during their stay in Makkah and Madinah. Meals will be served a total of 40 times in Makkah, once at the airport, 18 times in Madinah, and 16 times during the peak phase of Haj in Arafat-Muzdalifah-Mina (Armina), he said.

Catering companies are also required to use Indonesian spices and ingredients to satisfy the appetite of the pilgrims.

"Our pilgrims can enjoy the cuisine with Indonesian taste, so they do not feel away from home. We must ensure the pilgrims obtain healthy and nutritious food that suits their taste," Hery said.

Innovation also comes in coding and sorting of the luggage and passport of the pilgrims, which come in different colors according to flight group. Each color indicates hotel number and area where the pilgrims must stay. The system allows the pilgrims to proceed directly to the buses that will take them to the designated hotels in Makkah and Madinah.

Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, sends the largest number of pilgrims, with 221,000 to perform Haj this year.

Elaborate arrangements have been put in place to receive the pilgrims, with the first flight scheduled to land at Madinah's Prince Muhammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport on Tuesday. — SG