Abdullah Al-Magati and Hatim Al-Masoudi Okaz/Saudi Gazette MINA – Shaheed Al-Islam, a British pilgrim, expressed his satisfaction while he was undergoing a dialysis in Mina Al-Wadi Hospital. He said before coming to Saudi Arabia he was continuously worried about his two dysfunctional kidneys. He made use of the Internet to search for hospitals in the Kingdom specializing in dialysis. His search results indicated King Abdullah Medical City and some other hospitals. The British national said, “I believed it would be difficult to find dialysis machines in the holy sites, especially in Mina. I dialed the numbers given on the Internet. When I felt reassured, I decided to perform Haj this year despite the fact that I have been suffering from kidney failure for the past 14 years.” Al-Islam added, “The services here excel over those in British hospitals in terms of quality, free treatment and the diversity of the medical staff. I was astonished by the international standard services that helped me complete the Haj rites due to the availability of the machines at the hospitals in the holy sites.” He was further impressed when he heard the stories on the rest of free services from which the pilgrims benefited. He said, “This is the conduct that Islam teaches.” A 27-year-old Dutch national said, “The Internet was useful, as I searched for hospitals in Madinah and Makkah providing dialysis. From the websites I realized how advanced the medical services were in Saudi Arabia and the difference between the services in my country and Saudi Arabia,” he said. Murtaza, a Pakistani national, said his appendix burst. Speaking about his experience, he said, the services he obtained were invaluable. He said the medical team provided him with free medical services, which he could not get in his country. Meanwhile, the 65-year-old journalist Yahya Yusuf, Director General for News in the Egyptian Al-Yaum newspaper, said he used to undergo dialysis in Egypt at the rate of 500 Egyptian pounds per session. He said he was surprised that the dialysis sessions were free of charge in the Mashair Area.
