Health Affairs Management has equipped 14 medical centers for pilgrims and set up eight centers to receive N1H1 cases during this year's Haj, Dr. Sami Badawood, Director of Jeddah Health Affairs Management, announced. “We have equipped 14 medical centers and clinics in the holy sites with all the necessary facilities, in addition to distributing our medical staff in areas where pilgrims can have easy access to them,” said Badawood. “We have set up specialist clinics in eight primary health care centers in Jeddah which will work 24 hours a day to receive the second wave of H1N1 cases,” he said. In addition, Jeddah Health Affairs Management recently opened King Saud Hospital to receive urgent medical cases during this year's Haj. “We have also provided the arrival lounges at King Abdulaziz International Airport with thermal cameras to detect infectious diseases among arriving pilgrims,” Badawood said, adding that the arrival lounges at Jeddah Islamic Port have also been equipped with the same cameras. “The preparations for this year's Haj season started early with leave suspended for medical staff and technical support personnel in all hospitals in Jeddah, Rabigh and Laith so that they will be available to work at any time either in Jeddah or in the holy sites,” he explained. Jeddah Health Affairs Management, according to Badawood, has identified around 1,200 Saudi doctors, medical staff, and technicians who will be ready to deal with medical emergencies at the holy sites. Furthermore, with the beginning of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, all government hospitals in Jeddah will stop receiving non-urgent cases which do not require immediate surgical intervention.
