Abeer Medical lauded for Hajj healthcare services
Abeer Medical Group has concluded its 2025 Hajj pilgrimage medical services with resounding success, providing vital healthcare to thousands of pilgrims in both Mina and Arafah. Their dedicated efforts, which ensured a healthier and more fulfilling Hajj experience for many, have been lauded by pilgrims and health officials alike.
In Mina, Abeer's Urgent Medical Care Center, situated at Tent 5505 on Street 520, served more than 2,000 pilgrims this year. Operating with full approval from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and the Ministry of Health, the center became operational a day before pilgrims' arrival on June 4. A volunteer team of doctors, nurses, and paramedics worked tirelessly, attending to pilgrims from over 12 countries, with a significant number from Bangladesh, Indonesia, India, and Pakistan. The clinic remained open until all pilgrims had departed Mina.
Saudi Health Minister Fahad AlJalajel, who led a high-level delegation from the Ministry of Health to inspect the Abeer clinic's preparations, expressed his satisfaction with the arrangements. Abdurahman Al-Bedani, operation manager at Abeer Medical Group, received the delegation. Pilgrims who utilized the clinic's services expressed profound appreciation for Abeer's dedicated care.
Dr. Ahmed Alungal, executive vice president, and Dr. Jamsheed Ahmed, vice president of Abeer Medical Group, directly supervised the Mina clinic's operations. Alungal Mohammed, president of Abeer Medical Group, extended his gratitude to all participants, expressing pride in providing healthcare facilities to pilgrims for the second consecutive year.
Beyond Mina, Abeer Medical Group's commitment extended to the critical rituals at Arafah. Recognizing the profound emotional impact of missing the Arafah stand for pilgrims admitted to hospitals due to health conditions, Abeer's dedicated healthcare team ensured that even these patients could fulfill this essential rite. A fleet of ambulances, accompanied by doctors and paramedics, safely transported patients to Arafah within the designated time, turning hope into reality for many.
This comprehensive and compassionate approach to pilgrim healthcare by Abeer Medical Group, strongly supported by the Saudi Ministry of Health, has significantly contributed to the well-being and spiritual fulfillment of Hajj pilgrims this year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
15 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
International Yoga Day highlights Saudi Arabia's growing wellness movement
As the world marks International Yoga Day on June 21, a growing number of Saudis are rolling out their mats – not just for fitness, but for peace of mind. In a region where conversations around mental health are rapidly evolving, yoga is gaining ground as a tool for emotional balance, stress relief, and self-care. 'In Saudi Arabia, cultural shifts and increased awareness of holistic health have sparked interest in practices that support both mental and physical wellbeing,' Antony Bainbridge, Head of Clinical Services and Clinical Lead at Resicare Alliance, told Al Arabiya English in an interview. When Lana Nazer, Yoga and Wellness Instructor, first opened Karama Yoga Studio in Jeddah in 2016, yoga was relatively new in the mainstream wellness scene in Saudi Arabia. 'Not many people really knew what yoga was, and those who did had very limited access to it. There were almost no bilingual spaces that felt culturally familiar or inclusive, and very few studios offered the kind of variety and international standards of teaching that I was passionate about bringing to my community,' she told Al Arabiya English. Fast forward to today, the practice has seen exponential growth. 'We now teach thousands of students every year, many of them Saudi, and the appetite for holistic wellbeing is stronger than ever. There's a new generation redefining what health and movement look like, blending tradition with modern wellness in such a powerful and authentic way,' Nazer said. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lana Nazer . لنا ناظر (@lananazer_official) In 2021, the Ministry of Sports launched the 'Saudi Yoga Committee,' a sports committee that operates under the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee, in response to its increased popularity. According to the committee's website: 'Yoga has a large fan base across the country, and there is a genuine desire to supervise and develop its activities, as well as to support and improve the performance of yogis and sport professionals.' Societal shifts and inclusivity Once viewed as a niche or foreign concept, yoga is now part of mainstream wellness discussions in the Kingdom, particularly among youth and women. 'As stigma around mental health diminishes in Saudi Arabia, yoga has emerged as a socially acceptable, non-clinical way to manage stress and emotional challenges,' Bainbridge noted. The low-impact and accommodating nature of the sport makes it particularly favored by women in the Kingdom. 'At Karama Yoga, we teach with empathy. Every class is layered. We offer variations, we speak both Arabic and English, and we make sure everyone feels welcome, whether it's their first time or their hundredth. We honor tradition, but we teach in a modern, inclusive way that speaks to today's Saudi – mind, body, and soul,' Nazer said. Since the launch of Vision 2030, the percentage of women's involvement in sports in the Kingdom has increased by 150 percent, according to the General Authority of Statistics (GASTAT). Societal shifts are enabling women to take a proactive approach towards fitness and wellness – and yoga fits right in. The rise of mental wellbeing A 2025 study by Gymnation – the largest survey of its kind conducted in the Middle East – showed 92 percent of residents in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates value mental wellbeing. For many, yoga offers a culturally compatible outlet that blends mindfulness, movement, and spiritual reflection. 'Its focus on mindfulness and inner peace aligns with Islamic principles of reflection and self-care,' Bainbridge explained, adding that this makes yoga 'both culturally resonant and spiritually compatible.' The science backs it up. Yoga combines breathwork, gentle physical movement, and meditation – elements proven to regulate the nervous system and lower cortisol levels. 'Yoga fosters present-moment awareness and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, helping individuals self-regulate emotions,' Bainbridge said. In a fast-moving world, the practice offers a grounding space, according to Karama Yoga's founder. 'For young Saudis, it's become a powerful tool for self-awareness, confidence, and emotional strength. It helps cultivate inner calm, sharpen focus, and build resilience both on and off the mat. It's more than movement. It's emotional resilience, breathwork for anxiety, and a deeper connection to self,' she said. Even in clinical settings, the ancient practice is beginning to find its place. Bainbridge said: 'In Saudi Arabia, while still emerging, some rehabilitation and wellness clinics have started integrating yoga to support treatment for depression, PTSD, and stress-related disorders.' The goal isn't to replace therapy, he added, but to complement it – giving patients more tools to cope with trauma and emotional strain. So, could yoga be part of national health policy one day? Bainbridge and Nazer believe it should be. 'Yoga can be integrated into Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 health goals by promoting it in schools, workplaces, and public wellness programs,' he said. 'Training healthcare providers to use yoga as preventive and rehabilitative care, particularly for stress and lifestyle diseases, can position it as a cost-effective, culturally adaptive solution.' As for Nazer, she said: 'The future of yoga in Saudi is bold and beautiful. With Vision 2030 supporting wellness and female empowerment, I see yoga becoming more integrated into everyday life in schools, workplaces, retreats, and public spaces.' 'My dream is to have every person in Saudi to try yoga at least once by 2030. I truly believe Saudi is the future of wellness. We're not just following global trends anymore. We're leading them in our own way,' she added. As Saudi Arabia continues to embrace both innovation and tradition in its transformation, yoga appears to be more than a fleeting wellness trend – it's becoming a meaningful part of how people move, breathe, and feel better in their bodies and minds.
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Al Arabiya
The new generation of blockbuster weight-loss drugs, explained
A new generation of weight-loss drugs has proven remarkably effective, hugely popular and massively lucrative in the last few years, though they do have some drawbacks. After France on Friday became the latest country to allow all doctors—rather than just specialists—to prescribe these drugs, here are some key questions about them. How do they work? The most well-known of this new wave of drugs are Danish pharma firm Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy, as well as US company Eli Lilly's Mounjaro. These drugs enhance the action of a hormone in the pancreas called 'glucagon-like peptide 1,' or GLP-1, the name given to this family of medications. The hormone affects the secretion of insulin, so it was first targeted to develop drugs to combat diabetes. But it turned out that GLP-1 drugs also suppress people's appetite by making them feel fuller. A revolution? Obesity experts now agree that these drugs are a historic breakthrough in the history of people trying to lose weight. Previously, surgery was the main option for obesity when diet and exercise did not work. This is no small feat. Obesity affects 900 million people worldwide, in what is considered a major crisis. The new drugs 'cover a major unmet need: obesity was one of the only chronic diseases for which there were few medications,' French endocrinologist Emmanuel Disse told AFP. During clinical trials, the drugs have been found to reduce people's weight by an average of 15 to 20 percent. Limitations? However, these drugs do have some limitations, including side effects. The semaglutide drug used in Ozempic has been approved for diabetes since 2017, so there is now nearly a decade of research on its use. A large study using health data from hundreds of thousands of US veterans published in January found that GLP-1s are not linked to a higher risk of heart problems or suicidal thoughts, as had previously been suggested. However, there are rare cases of serious side effects, such as damage to the pancreas, it said. More commonly, they can also cause nausea, vomiting, migraines and disturb sleep, which can turn some patients off the drugs. They also do not work for everyone—some people taking the drugs do not lose weight. And the effect only lasts when people are taking the drug, meaning that they potentially need lifelong treatment. They are also expensive, sometimes costing over $1,000 a month in the United States to 300 euros ($340) in France. The drugs are also only available in injectable forms—though pharma firms are developing daily pills that have shown promise in early trials. Who should use them? National health agencies have emphasized that these drugs should only be prescribed to overweight or obese people for whom things like exercise and diet have failed. However, there is plenty of evidence that some people who are not overweight use the drugs simply to lose a few extra kilos. France's ANSM medications authority said that these drugs should 'not be used for weight loss for aesthetic purposes,' warning that inappropriate use could expose people to 'adverse effects that are sometimes serious.' What next? Steven O'Rahilly, head of Cambridge University's Institute of Metabolic Sciences, told AFP he was confident there will be 'a pretty rapid evolution of drugs that are more effective, with fewer side effects, cheaper and more convenient.' 'It may be more of a challenge to combine all those four advances in a single medicine,' he added. With billions of dollars at stake, pharma firms are racing to be the first to market with a new treatment. Novo Nordisk's experimental drug amycretin could be even more effective than existing GLP-1s, according to early trial results published in The Lancet on Saturday. There has also been a growing field of research revealing the potential benefits of GLP-1 drugs beyond obesity. They have been linked to improvements for a range of maladies, including dementia and addiction. It is still unclear if these are a direct effect of the drugs or are linked to improvements with obesity or diabetes.
Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
Pakistan reports new polio case in northwest, raising 2025 tally to 12
KARACHI: Pakistan's polio eradication program on Friday said a new wild poliovirus case had been detected in the country's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bringing the total tally of 2025 cases to 12. Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure, making prevention through vaccination critical. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine, along with the completion of the routine immunization schedule for all children, are essential to build strong immunity against the virus. The country conducted three nationwide vaccination campaigns in February, April and May, aiming to immunize around 45 million children across Pakistan with the support of over 400,000 frontline workers including 225,000 women vaccinators. 'The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, Islamabad, has confirmed a new case of wild poliovirus in District Bannu, South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,' the body said in a statement. 'The 33-month-old male child from Union Council Shamsikhel, District Bannu is the sixth case of polio reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this year.' Pakistan has reported 12 polio cases so far this year, including six from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, four from the southern Sindh province and one each from the populous Punjab province and the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region. Pakistan, one of the last two countries where polio remains endemic along with Afghanistan, has made significant progress in curbing the virus, with annual cases dropping from around 20,000 in the early 1990s to just eight in 2018. However, the country reported an alarmingly high number of 74 cases in 2024, after six in 2023 and only one in 2021. Health Minister Mustafa Kamal on Thursday claimed that Pakistan has recorded a 99 percent decline in polio cases, as he urged global vaccine organization Gavi to invest more in efforts to 'train and retain' vaccinators. Pakistan launched its polio eradication program in 1994, but its efforts have repeatedly been hindered by widespread vaccine misinformation and resistance from hard-line religious groups who claim immunization campaigns are a Western conspiracy to sterilize Muslim children or a front for espionage. Militant groups have also targeted polio workers and police officials providing them security, often with deadly attacks that have hampered vaccination drives, particularly in the country's remote and conflict-prone regions.
