Saudi Gazette report

ABOUT 2 million Muslims from around the globe converged on Makkah in August-September for the annual pilgrimage, the journey of a lifetime for the majority of them.

Like every year, the stupendous task of feeding, housing and protecting this polyglot crowd over a period of one and half months was a huge challenge for the Saudi authorities. Providing the best available healthcare and medical services to the pilgrims who make the holy journey each year is also not an easy thing to manage.

The entire mass of pilgrims move together to perform a set of rituals in sequence at prescribed times and locations around the holy sites that cover a distance of nearly 40 kilometers.

The Saudi government has spent billions of riyals to handle this massive influx. To ensure a smooth and safe pilgrimage, Saudi Arabia also mobilizes an extraordinary amount of human and logistical resources.

The activities of the Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA), which provides emergency medical care in various circumstances, reach their peak during the Haj season. In addition to its permanent centers, the Authority sets up temporary posts in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah as well as the ritual sites of Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat.

The Authority deployed more than 2,472 personnel during this Haj season in Makkah and Madinah. It dealt with over 18,000 emergency cases in the holy sites during the six-day period peaking the pilgrimage, according to a report submitted by the Authority to the Arab Red Crescent Organization following the Haj. The report said 6,000 of the emergency cases were evacuated by various means while the rest were treated on the spot.

In Madinah, 2,938 cases were treated, taking the total number of cases attended to by the Red Crescent volunteers during the pilgrimage to 20,938, said the report.

This Haj season, a renovated Central Operations Room was opened in Makkah. In addition, a number of model emergency centers were opened at the holy sites.

At least 51 SRCA centers were equipped at the holy sites and 94 seasonal centers were prepared along different highways leading to Makkah, in addition to the already existing centers located in cities and villages along the roads.

These centers had stocked up 200 different types of medications along with essential equipment and vehicles, which included 350 ambulances and 18 medic carts and 15 motorbikes. The SRCA properly maintained all its emergency vehicles at specialized car repair workshops inside the holy sites.

The report said SRCA gave advanced training to 130 of its emergency crew. The Authority had 35 intensive care teams each with up to two doctors, two emergency members and a volunteer. These teams were placed close to the gates of the Grand Mosque.

Employees at the call center were trained to speedily handle emergency calls. They received as many as 500,000 calls from pilgrims and visitors during the Haj. The call center employed 10 translators who spoke up to seven languages.

The SRCA also displayed emergency guidelines for pilgrims on 20 screens in Jeddah, Taif, Makkah and at King Abdulaziz Airport. It also distributed awareness kits among pilgrims in Madinah, Jeddah and Makkah.

Saleh Al-Suhaibani, secretary-general of the Arab Red Crescent Organization, applauded the efforts of the Authority to serve the pilgrims during the Haj season. He said this highlighted the humanitarian role of the SRCA and reflected its excellent operational capabilities.