UAE Haj pilgrims 'in good health'

Makkah: All resources and facilities of the UAE diplomatic mission in Jeddah were put at the disposal of the UAE Official Haj Mission to enable it serve the UAE pilgrims in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah in a better way, a UAE diplomat based in Jeddah has said, affirming that UAE pilgrims "are in a good health condition".

"The UAE Consulate General in Jeddah considers itself as part of the UAE Official Haj Mission and puts all its energies at the hand of the Mission to deliver high quality services to UAE pilgrims in a style that fits well the high profile of the UAE in the Islamic world's largest congregation," said Ahmad Mohammad Mangoush, UAE Consul General in Jeddah, after an inspection tour of accommodation complexes of pilgrims and premises of the UAE Official Haj Mission in Makkah on sunday.

He added that the UAE's wise leadership had provided the Consulate and the Mission with what they need to carry out their responsibilities in serving the UAE pilgrims properly, clearing any obstacles they could face and enabling them perform and complete their pilgrimage safely, comfortably and conveniently.

He also commended the concerted around the clock coordination and cooperation among various specialist committees of the Mission and their dedication and loyalty to have the honour of serving the guests of Allah in the holy lands.

"The Mission teams are operating tirelessly around the clock with the spirit of one team like a bee haven. This reflects that efforts being made by the country's leadership to groom the UAE human resources to organise and manage such major events have paid off," he noted

"The Mission is developing its functioning mechanisms and committees from better to best year after year based on its accumulated experience and knowledge," he said.

"The Mission is keen to draw lessons from each Haj season to better plan for the next season especially in improving services delivered to pilgrims," he added.

Asked by WAM about the health situation of the UAE pilgrims, the Consul said "the UAE pilgrims are well and in a good health condition and no abnormal disease cases have been reported so far."

He described services offered to pilgrims in areas of housing, food, and transport are far better than those of pilgrims from other countries.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Obaid Al Mazroui, Head of the UAE Official Haj Mission, said the UAE pilgrims "are in good health".

He noted that his Mission had made it mandatory for every Haj operator with over 100 pilgrims to hire a doctor and a nurse, prepare a mobile clinic with a stand-by ambulance, and an isolation room for handling possible cases infected with communicable diseases. "The aim is to enable the operator to look after the health welfare of pilgrims under his care," he stressed.

He explained that inspectors of the Mission "are conducting around the clock tours of pilgrims' housing units to interact with pilgrims and listen to their to their complaints and observations in order to solve them on the field.

"The pilgrims we met during the tour have expressed satisfaction at the level of services rendered to them. A brief comparison of services delivered by UAE Haj campaigns with those of other countries has shown that the UAE pilgrims are enjoying excellent conditions in terms of accommodation, food and transport," he noted.