Dr. Khaled Obaid Zafar, Director General of Health Affairs in Makkah Region MAKKAH – There will be 36 health and first aid centers at the Grand Mosque for Umrah pilgrims and visitors this Ramadan, said Dr. Khaled Obaid Zafar, Director General of Health Affairs in Makkah Region. “Five health centers surrounding the Grand Mosque will work around-the-clock,” said Zafar in a press statement issued by the Health Affairs of Makkah Region yesterday. The centers are Ajyad Al-Sufli Gate, Ajyad Al-Alwi Gate, Gate 94, Gate 64 and Nadwa Gate. The directorate plans to operate three new first aid centers at the Grand Mosque plazas in addition to 29 permanent first aid centers, the official said. The rest of the Makkah hospitals will operate as usual except for the intensive care units of King Abdul Aziz Hospital and Hera General Hospital which will operate at full capacity, he explained. The emergency departments of these hospitals will be modernized, he added. Ibn Sina Hospital in Hada will run at full capacity and receive chronic cases, reducing pressure on Makkah hospitals, he said. The directorate's health plan focuses on air, sea and land ports of entry and stresses the importance of preventive care. “We will focus on people coming from countries where epidemics and quarantine diseases are rampant,” he said, adding that more visitors are expected this year because Ramadan coincides with the period of summer vacation.
