ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Hajj Mission is fully prepared to cope with any health emergency during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, a senior official told Pakistani state media on Sunday.
Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and requires every adult Muslim to undertake the journey to the holy Islamic sites in Makkah at least once in their lifetime if they are financially and physically able.
Pakistan has a Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims this year, of which around 70,000 people will perform the pilgrimage under the government scheme, while the rest will use private tour operators.
PHM Director Jamil Ahmed Lakhair said a 400-member dedicated Pakistan Hajj Medical Mission (PHMM) is working around the clock to serve Pakistani pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“The PHMM is fully equipped, prepared and competent enough to tackle any medical emergency situation, if it arises, in a highly professional manner,” Lakhair was quoted as saying in the report.
“The medical mission includes almost all types of medical specialists, including cardiologists, chest specialists, physiologists, pulmonologists, pathologists, radiologists, and dermatologists. They are available round the clock to serve the pilgrims.”
Pakistan has established two hospitals and 11 dispensaries in the Saudi cities of Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah to provide health care to Hajj pilgrims, according to the official.
Around 1,300 patients on an average are visiting the PHMM health facilities, where free treatment and medicines are provided to them.
Imran Ahmad, a Pakistani pilgrim from Lahore, said the facilities available in the Kingdom are “very good and the pilgrims do not feel like they are outside of their homes,” Radio Pakistan reported.
Lakhair appealed the pilgrims to take all possible precautionary measures against heatstroke, following a severe heat warning issued by the Saudi National Center for Meteorology. He suggested the pilgrims should use face masks and umbrellas, avoid sun exposure, and drink plenty of water, preferably Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS), to maintain their health.
Since Pakistan began its pre-Hajj flight operation, more than 62,148 Pakistani pilgrims have arrived in the Kingdom under both government and private schemes, according to the Pakistani religion ministry.
Around 390 assistants, including Pakistani civil and uniformed officers, are working for travel and accommodation facilities of the pilgrims as well as providing food, while over 150 officers of the ministry are facilitating pilgrims at the Main Control Office, Madinah and Jeddah Airports, Lost and Found Department, Madinah Departure Cell, Monitoring Cell, and Accounts and Administration Departments.
This year’s pilgrimage is expected to run from June 14 till June 19. Pakistan’s pre-Hajj flight operation, which began on May 9, will continue until June 9.