MINA — Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health has mobilized as many as 8,000 men, including health practitioners and supporting staffers to serve the Hajj pilgrims. The ministry has readied six hospitals, including a mobile hospital and 51 health clinics to provide services to the pilgrims in Makkah and the holy sites, said assistant minister of health and the ministry's spokesman Dr. Muhammad Al-Abdel Ali said on Wednesday. In his daily press briefing, Abdel Ali said that there are 62 field teams to conduct health checkups, follow-up and preventive medical supervision around the clock, and 200 ambulances were made available. The ministry will increase the number of health workers if the need arises. The spokesman stressed that health services will be made available for the pilgrims during all courses of their spiritual journey as it was done before the start of the Hajj season by conducting the necessary health preparation and assessments and everything that is needed to ensure the pilgrims perform their rituals in ease and comfort. "There is a health leader for each group of pilgrims to provide the necessary health services and accompanies each group of pilgrims all throughout their pilgrimage," he said. Regarding the preventive measures taken against the pandemic during the Hajj, Abdel Ali stressed that all the precautionary and preventive measures including maintaining safe social distancing and covering nose and mouth with masks, must be taken and the health team will always be with pilgrims to serve them and ensure their safety and health.
