Safety measures in place for pilgrims

Makkah: More than 1.6 million pilgrims have arrived so far to perform Haj.

The Haj Commission reported that by the weekend 1,601,545 people had arrived in the kingdom and more were on their way.

The official SPA news agency said Interior Minister Prince Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz, who also heads the Haj Supreme Committee, had taken charge of security arrangements and was marshalling security and civil defence forces in the holy city.

The Haj Supreme Committee said on Monday that 202 pilgrims had died since arriving in the kingdom, generally those suffering from heart problems.

The health ministry said more than 9,600 medical personnel have been mobilised and 21 field hospitals set up at Makkah and Madinah for this year's pilgrimage.

The pilgrimage, which ends on Monday, is one of the five pillars of Islam, and is an obligation for all Muslims at least once during their lives if they can afford to do so.

Although the number of pilgrims that can come every year is regulated by a quota system for each Muslim country, based on the ratio of one pilgrim per one thousand of its population, authorities say they are helpless to prevent close to a million people from travelling here independently outside the quota system.

The pilgrims are arriving through King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, Prince Mohammad Bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Madinah, Jeddah Islamic Port, and land routes.

According to the report, there were 98,168 emergency cases in Makkah. There have been no cases of sun-strokes.

Prince Nayef was yesterday scheduled to open Mina Emergency Hospital. This fully equipped 300-bed hospital was established by the Ministry of Health within ten months.

The Minister of Health, Dr Hamad Bin Abdullah Al Mane, thanked Prince Nayef for opening the hospital. In a statement to reporters, Al Mane said the hospital includes varied specialities and clinics, including 28 bed facility for intensive medical care and a 56 bed facility for emergency cases.

"The experimental functioning of Mina Emergency Hospital started on Sunday," he said. In addition, the Ministry of Health prepared 145 health centres. Off these, 88 centres were allocated in the Holy Places; 46 in Arafat, 30 in Mina, six in Mozdalifah and six on both sides of the Jamarat Bridge.

The number of the workforce in these hospitals and health centres is 9,600 medical, para-medical and technical personnel.