More than 25,000 visas issuedJEDDAH – The Ministry of Labor has granted Haj transport companies more than 25,000 work visas for drivers and technicians to work during this year's Haj season. The drivers and technicians will work in the Haj transport fleet, which is owned by Haj transport companies and numbers 20,000 buses to transport pilgrims between the holy sites. Marwan Rashad Al-Zubaidi, secretary general of the General Cars Syndicate, said ads for vacancies were published in the middle of this month and a number of Saudis have applied for jobs, which have salaries of up to SR3,500 per month and allowances and other privileges. He said hiring period for Saudis is open until the end of next month. The General Cars Syndicate has prepared offices, in its headquarters in Makkah and in Madina, for Saudis who are interested in the positions, Al-Zubaidi said. He said that for a number of reasons, the Saudization rate in these jobs has been insignificant in the last few years. Saudi youths lack interest in temporary jobs, driving positions involve long hours and many Saudi youths do not have the necessary technical skills, Al-Zubaidi said. Most Saudi drivers prefer to enjoy their Eid holidays with their families instead of working during Eid and the majority of graduates from technical institutes do not have certificates to work on diesel buses, which are used in the Haj activities, he added. In a related development, Dr. Talib Al-Hujaili, Director General of the Directorate of Health Affairs in Makkah said his organization will open 10 health centers at the beginning of Ramadan that will work around-the-clock to serve Umrah pilgrims and visitors of the Holy Haram. Al-Hujaili said the centers will work along with six hospitals in Makkah that are devoted to providing integrated medical services to the guests of Allah. He said there is a total capacity of 1,802 beds. He said the directorate has allocated 130 beds for intensive care, in addition to intensive care units in Ajyad Hospital in Makkah. He said the units are served by qualified staff assigned from different parts of the Kingdom. Al-Hujaili added that work is progressing on new projects in Makkah including King Abdul Aziz Medical Tower, which will have a capacity of 300 beds and is scheduled to be completed in 2011; King Faisal Hospital, which will have the same capacity; an emergency building in Heraa General Hospital and other projects such as the Kidney Center in Khulaiss General Hospital.
