The Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) in Madinah announced a new field operational program to provide emergency and medical services for pilgrims at the Prophet’s Mosque and other ritual sites frequented during the Hajj season, The Rahnuma reported on July 24.
“SRCA began to implement its program in early July with about 60 emergency teams working per shift across the holy sites of Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah,” informed Khalid Al-Sahli, official spokesman of SRCA in Madinah.
“All emergency medical centers started covering all roads leading to Madinah, to follow pilgrim convoys arriving or leaving the city, while 12 healthcare teams with advanced equipment support the emergency work in Madinah to tend to all cases and incidents,” he continued.
Al-Sahli further said that 1,000 female and male volunteers started work on Tuesday July 23, within the program to serve pilgrims in Madinah during this year’s Hajj season.
The medical crews will perform their tasks mainly at the Prophet’s Mosque and the squares around it. The volunteer teams will support emergency teams based at the Prophet’s Mosque during prayers and in peak hours at Miqat Mosque while pilgrims depart to Makkah.
SRCA’s training center continues to organize sessions and lectures about emergency care for members of government and private bodies working to serve pilgrims.
Pilgrims are given flyers for emergencies and ways to use the “Asefni” (save me) application, available on all smartphone systems in nine languages. People can also dial 997 for an ambulance.
Hajj Pilgrimage
Each year, more than two million Muslims commit to Hajj, a spiritual journey that represents the 5th Pillar of Islam and one of the largest annual human gatherings on the planet.
Every Muslim who is physically and financially able to do so is expected to make this pilgrimage once in their lifetime.
According to the 2018 report of the General Authority of Statistics in Saudi Arabia, a total of 2,371,675 Muslims performed Hajj last year.