Saudi Arabia: Visitors and pilgrims to have access to 2,764 health facilities

Dubai: The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has announced that pilgrims and tourists can take advantage of more than 2,764 facilities offering health services in various cities and provinces of the Kingdom during the current Umrah season, local media reported.

The facilities are part of an insurance programme for Umrah performers travelling from all over the globe.

Visitors and pilgrims travelling to Mecca and Medina will have access to 151 public and private hospitals, 773 health clinics, 1,840 pharmacies and medical laboratories located across the Kingdom.

The insurance programme seeks to improve facilities for visitors and Umrah pilgrims while they are in Saudi Arabia to do Umrah and offer prayers at the Prophet’s Mosque. The initiative was launched by the ministry to enhance the level of care given to pilgrims and to enrich their religious and cultural experience in line with the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

From the moment pilgrims arrive in the Kingdom until they return after completing the rites, the insurance coverage will serve pilgrims and fulfill all of their requirements. It also offers medical and travel protection.

The ministry recently announced a series of facilities for pilgrims, including permitting the Umrah pilgrimage for all types of visas, eliminating age limitations and procedural constraints linked to a mahram’s presence for women, as well as simplifying the movement of pilgrims between cities and regions of the Kingdom and extending the term of the Umrah visa from 30 days to 90 days.