Saud Arabia announced on Friday the success of its plans in organizing the 2023 Hajj pilgrimage.
It said no diseases or health risks were reported at the pilgrimage, which witnessed the return of pilgrims to pre-pandemic numbers.
Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud met with senior ministry, military and security officials in the holy city of Makkah.
He stressed that the cohesion between the military and security sectors had greatly helped in ensuring the success of the security and organizational plans in place for the Hajj.
He underscored the importance of advanced technologies in assisting the security forces in performing their duties, highlighting the use of AI in enriching the experience.
Minister of Health Fahad bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel declared the success of the health plans for the Hajj.
In a statement, he underlined the great support accorded to the Hajj and health sector by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
He praised the role played by the Supreme Hajj Committee, chaired by Prince Abdulaziz, in overcoming all health challenges. He expressed his gratitude to the Interior Ministry for its effective role in applying health plans.
Moreover, he hailed the close follow up of Prince Khalid bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz, advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Governor of the Makkah region.
Al-Jalajel said over 36,000 health sector employees, backed by 7,600 volunteers, were deployed at the holy sites during the Hajj.
Over 400,000 pilgrims received health services during the pilgrimage, he went on to say. Over 50 open-heart surgeries were performed, over 1,600 dialysis sessions were held and over 4,000 pilgrims received virtual services from the virtual hospital.
Moreover, over 8,000 cases of heat stroke were treated. He noted that the awareness campaigns that were held throughout the Hajj helped in limiting the number of heat stroke cases.
