Hundreds of Saudi volunteers flocked individually and in groups to the holy sites, leaving behind all the pleasures of life to provide care and serve every pilgrim arriving in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has harnessed all necessary efforts to provide integrated medical care to the pilgrims and spent billions of dollars to equip hospitals in the holy cities and places of worship to accommodate the pilgrims.
When meeting one of the volunteers helping and treating the pilgrims in very hot weather conditions, it is evident that the Hajj journey we see on television channels has far more unknown details and efforts that young men and women exert to ensure its success.
Primary Health Care Charity Society (Derhum Weqaya) has established its “Hajj Health” volunteer program, which includes 550 individuals who flocked to Mina to provide health care to pilgrims for common health conditions.
Divided to 110 teams, the volunteers underwent an extensive training program to master dealing with common health conditions.
For hours and hours, health volunteers provide excellent services, whether treating diabetic foot injuries or cases of heat exhaustion or heatstroke.
The head of Derhum Weqaya, Jasser al-Shehri, explained that the association received over 3,400 requests from all over the Kingdom to join the program, including more than 200 volunteers from 36 public and private universities.
Shehri added that the program consists of three stages, including theoretical and practical training, then sorting the volunteers and distributing them in teams with medical equipment, and the last stage includes ending the program and data collection.
The Hajj health program aims to achieve qualitative integration between government and private agencies by providing a field volunteer model that enhances health care for pilgrims.
For the third consecutive year, 1,500 volunteers are participating with the Ministry of Health as part of the “Sawaed Seha” medical training under the supervision of the “Health Volunteer Center” established in 2019.
The Ministry of Health confirmed the readiness of its health facilities in Makkah al-Mukarramah, al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, and the holy sites during the Hajj season to receive pilgrims who need medical attention.
The Ministry indicated that 32,000 qualified health practitioners and 32 hospitals, including field hospitals, and 140 health centers were prepared to provide health care to pilgrims, with a capacity of 6,132 beds, including 761 beds for intensive care and 222 to treat heat strokes.
The Ministry’s virtual hospital will also provide services for the second season after it was a success during the last Hajj season. This year, several virtual clinics were added in the holy sites and al-Madinah.
The Ministry prepared medical points on the al-Mashaer and al-Haramain trains, equipped mobile medical vehicles on the pedestrian line between the holy sites, and intensified its efforts in the central area of the Holy Mosque of Makkah.
It also prepared 190 ambulances and 16 emergency centers at the Jamaraat Bridge facility in Mina.
Saudi Arabia believes in the importance of volunteering as part of the National Transformation Program and Vision 2030 goals, aiming to reach one million volunteers by 2030.
