Qatari Haj medical unit granted Saudi approval

Saudi medical delegation visits headquarters of the Qatari Haj mission.

The Ministry of Health in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia approved the medical unit of the Qatari Haj mission, marking the start of work in it and its readiness to receive patients and visitors from the pilgrims of the State of Qatar, after reviewing all the equipment included in the medical unit, clinics and services. And all the facilities it provided for health care of the pilgrims of Qatar, and ensuring that the medical unit in the Haj mission met the standards and conditions required for accreditation as it includes all the required equipment such as clinics, pharmacies, examination rooms, isolation rooms, inpatient rooms, clinics and an emergency department. This came during a visit by a medical delegation from the Saudi Ministry of Health on Tuesday to the headquarters of the Qatari Haj mission in the southern Aziziyah neighbourhood in Makkah Al Mukarramah, to see and approve the missions clinics and health facilities according to the standards set by the Saudi authorities. The delegation made an inspection tour of the medical clinics and their facilities, during which they were briefed on the clinics and medical equipment sections provided by the mission to the pilgrims of Qatar. During the tour, the delegation was accompanied by Dr Khaled Abdul Hadi, head of the medical unit in the Qatari Haj mission, and a number of doctors and consultants in the unit. For his part, Dr Khaled Abdul Hadi explained that the missions clinics are divided into two parts: the first is located on the ground floor, and includes a section for receiving and classifying patients, where the pilgrim is subjected to biometrics, and in normal cases, the pilgrim is transferred to the clinic on the upper floor to receive treatment that suits his condition. In the event that he is diagnosed with infectious diseases such as Covid-19, he is transferred to the isolation rooms provided by the clinic, and later to Saudi clinics equipped for these cases with the latest capabilities. The head of the medical unit indicated that a contract was signed with Al-Ahly Saudi Private Hospital, which is located near the residence of Qatar pilgrims, to treat critical and emergency cases that require specialised medical attention, noting that the unit follows up all types of conditions and chronic diseases such as: diabetes, high blood pressure and others. He explained that the Qatari medical mission provided clinics and rooms designated for observation and isolation in cases that require medical isolation for any patient, whether in the headquarters in Aziziyah or the holy sites in Mina, Arafa and Muzdalifah, pointing out that the medical unit crews seek to provide health services and necessary first aid according to the highest standards. Regarding the medical staff, the head of the medical unit stressed that the medical staff, accompanying the Qatari Haj mission, includes distinguished competencies of doctors, nurses and pharmacists (men and women), who were selected from the most skilled medical staff. The medical unit was keen to include in its medical staff all the specialties concerned with the pilgrim, which include family medicine, epidemiologist, a consultant in cardiology, a consultant in endocrinology, an emergency consultant, and an ear, nose and throat consultant, and these are the diseases concerned with the pilgrim or widely spread among pilgrims , noting that the entire medical staff is prepared to assist in any quick intervention, not only its specialisation, but all members of the medical staff can support and assist in the general specialties as it is prepared to serve and treat pilgrims with high efficiency. Dr Abdul Hadi stated that the medical mission has an ambulance equipped with male and female paramedics, who are fully prepared to intervene quickly and transport any patient who needs assistance. With regard to the medical equipment provided by the unit in the holy sites, Dr Abdul Hadi confirmed that the medical staff of the mission will accompany the pilgrims in all the holy sites, indicating the provision of an equipped clinic for women, and another for men in Mina and Arafa. In Muzdalifah, there is a clinic for emergency cases, and the work of Mina clinics extends to the days of Eid, which operates 24 hours a day in anticipation that pilgrims are exposed to any dangers during the days of Tashreeq and the throwing of the Jamarat (pebbles). The medical unit will also hold training courses in the field of first aid for all members of the Qatari mission to ensure the collective ability to provide service to the pilgrims of Qatar in critical cases upon request. The head of the medical unit advised the pilgrims to present the identification card, in addition to care by the pilgrims who suffer from chronic diseases for their medications, taking them on time, and adhering to the doctors' instructions, in order to ensure the safety of their health condition.