Latest news with #FahadAlJalajel
Arab News
15-06-2025
- Health
- Arab News
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.
ABC News
10-06-2025
- ABC News
Death toll dramatically lower in 2025 Hajj pilgrimage, though experts fear climate change will increase risk
Early reports indicate a much lower death toll than previous years at this year's Hajj pilgrimage, in which Muslims from all over the world travel to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The annual pilgrimage, which took place from June 4 to 9, is an essential right of passage for those of the Muslim faith, but has historically resulted in thousands of fatalities due to extreme heat and crowd crushes. More than 1.6 million pilgrims attended Mecca during the Hajj this year, the lowest number for 30 years, excluding the COVID-19 pandemic period. While a final death toll is yet to be confirmed, individual countries have reported relatively low numbers of fatalities. According to local reports, 175 Indonesian pilgrims died, along with 10 from Malaysia, 13 from Iran and seven from Nigeria. Death tolls from other nations widely represented at the Hajj, including Pakistan and India, have not yet been released. In 2024, 1,300 people died after temperatures exceeded 51 degrees Celsius. According to Saudi Arabia's health minister Fahad Al-Jalajel, those deaths were caused by "walking long distances under direct sunlight without adequate shelter or comfort". The timing of the Hajj is determined by the Islamic lunar calendar and varies from year to year, but since 2015, it has fallen during Saudi Arabia's hottest months. The drastic drop in deaths this year may indicate that new crowd control measures implemented by the Saudi Arabian government have been successful. The government invested heavily in heat-resilient infrastructure, including air-conditioned shelters, field hospitals, misting systems and portable water stations, and has banned children under 12 from attending. It has also been particularly rigorous in enforcing the Hajj permit system, which limits the number of pilgrims according to country quotas. In 2024, 83 per cent of those who died did not have official permits, which prevented them from accessing cooling systems or health services. Ahead of this year's Hajj, Saudi officials conducted raids and used drone surveillance to identify unregistered pilgrims and crack down on fraudulent travel providers. Billboards, media and mass text alerts warned pilgrims: "No hajj without a permit." On June 1, authorities reported stopping almost 270,000 unregistered pilgrims from entering Mecca. Those who enter the city illegally risk fines, deportation and 10-year bans from the country. In 25 years, Hajj will once again take place during Saudi Arabia's hottest season. And as climate change drives temperatures ever higher, will preventative measures be enough to ensure the safety of millions of pilgrims? Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and a holy rite of passage. Every Muslim is expected to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lives, if they are physically and financially able. The pilgrimage includes rituals performed in and around the city of Mecca. It begins with walking in circles around the Kaaba, a small black building near the centre of the Great Mosque believed to have been originally built by Prophet Adam and later reconstructed by the Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail. The pilgrimage ends with Rami al-Jamarat, or the Stoning of the Devil, a custom in which pilgrims throw pebbles at three walls in the city of Mina in symbolic rejection of the devil. This coincides with Eid al-Adha, an important celebration commemorating sacrifice. Secretary of the Lebanese Muslim Association Gamel Kheir says Hajj is the "single most spiritually significant experience" that many Muslims will have in their lifetime. "Symbolically, it is a reflection of abandoning this world and going to the house of God in order to cleanse oneself of worldly sins," he says. Ahead of Hajj, the Lebanese Muslim Association runs training sessions to prepare pilgrims for the spiritual and physical challenges. Kheir, who has undertaken the pilgrimage twice, says the experience is "incredible". "When you go there, you see the love and the difference in race, skin colour, language," he says. "They're all there in obedience. No-one has any pride there, everyone humbles themselves." Milad Haghani, associate professor of urban resilience and mobility at the University of Melbourne, says Hajj presents a "cocktail of crowd-safety risks". "The scale is massive. It's one of the biggest crowds that ever gathers," he says. "The crowd is spiritually motivated, [which is] a category of crowd that we deem very prone to risk taking." While the Hajj has a history of fatal incidents — mostly crowd crushes — Dr Haghani says climate change marks "a new emerging threat". "Across the world, we are seeing that crowded events are being affected by extreme weather conditions. In Australia, we have festivals that get cancelled," he says. "But when it comes to Hajj, it's very, very rare that it gets cancelled for any reason. It will go ahead regardless." Other aspects of Hajj increase the risks of heat-related injury, too. "The vast majority of the activities do take place in an outdoor environment where you're exposed to the sun directly," Dr Haghani says. "And being in a crowded environment [can] create a microclimate, so inside the crowd could be hotter than the [outside] temperature." Many of those making the pilgrimage do so later in life, especially if they have had to save for years or decades to afford the journey. Hajj packages from Australia typically cost upwards of $10,000. "That crowd tends to be older, compared to a crowd that you get in a typical music festival or a sporting event — that means a higher prevalence of health issues," Dr Haghani says. The pilgrims are also a highly diverse group, hailing from more than 180 countries. "You cannot communicate via a single language in terms of risk communication. That is a major, major barrier," Dr Haghani says. Research suggests that increased educational campaigns in multiple languages, as well as new technologies like smart bracelets for health tracking, could help mitigate the effects of extreme heat during Hajj. A study published last year in the journal, Nature, found that the upper limits of human heat tolerance were breached for a total of 43 hours over the six days of Hajj in 2024. On the hottest day of the pilgrimage, humid heat reached levels considered dangerous even for young and healthy people. Emma Ramsay, an urban climate scientist at Nanyang Technological University Singapore and a co-author of the study, says rising humidity during Hajj poses a serious health risk. "We showed that the heat and humidity during the Hajj crest these upper survival limits … thresholds where our bodies really struggle to cope with the heat physiologically," she says. Though Hajj is set to move out of peak summer next year, it will cycle back to the hot season in 25 years. By that time, global temperatures are predicted to rise 1.5 degrees Celsius, which researchers predict would increase the risk of heat stroke during Hajj fivefold. Dr Ramsay says while Saudi Arabian authorities are experienced in handling extreme heat, "there are limits". "These adaptations are never available to everyone — there are always people left out and people who don't have access," she says. "And these adaptations aren't fail-safe. We see in heat waves, everyone switches on their AC (air-conditioning) and a blackout [occurs], and then people are left really vulnerable. Gamel Kheir says pilgrims in his community are not overly worried about how climate change will affect the Hajj. He believes Saudi Arabian authorities "have mitigated risks the best they can", while cracking down on unauthorised entries. "We do have global warming, clearly, but counter to that is the fact that the authorities have provided a very sheltered environment," he says. "You're not in the desert so much anymore … You've got five-star hotels, you've got water provided constantly, and there's shade everywhere." He says rising temperatures are unlikely to deter faithful Muslims from making the journey. "Do I have concerns? No, because at the end of the day, I think what most people would look at is the religious significance of it over the harshness that they may have to experience."
Leaders
04-06-2025
- General
- Leaders
Health Minister Inspects Arafat Field Hospital Ahead of Hajj Rituals
Minister of Health Fahad AlJalajel conducted an inspection visit to the Arafat Field Hospital, where he was welcomed by several senior officials. During the visit, the Minister toured the hospital's departments and reviewed the range of medical services being offered to pilgrims for the 1446 Hajj season. He was also briefed on the network of healthcare centers affiliated with the hospital, including their emergency and specialized services aimed at ensuring the health, safety, and comfort of pilgrims. The Arafat Field Hospital is among the key healthcare projects supporting this year's Hajj. It features a capacity of 100 beds, including 20 designated for heat exhaustion treatment. The facility is fully equipped with an operating room, an isolation unit, a mobile medical unit with five field clinics, a laboratory, a pharmacy, and mobile radiology services. This comprehensive setup highlights the Ministry's advanced level of preparedness to deliver timely and effective medical care directly to pilgrims during the Hajj. Related Topics: Saudi Interior Min.: Tourism Companies Deceive Pilgrims, Encourage Hajj Violations Riyadh Global Health Exhibition to Bring Together Int'nal Healthcare Experts Intensive Preparations for Smooth, Safe Hajj Season: Mecca Deputy Governor New Chapter Unfolded: Saudi Arabia Launches Electronic Intensive Care Unit Short link : Post Views: 1 Related Stories
Arab News
04-06-2025
- General
- Arab News
Saudi health minister visits pilgrim who received emergency cardiac surgery in Arafat
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's Health Minister Fahad Abdulrahman AlJalajel recently visited a Hajj pilgrim who had received emergency cardiac surgery at East Arafat Hospital. The minister, who is also chairman of the Health Holding Co., made the visit during an inspection tour of healthcare facilities before the pilgrimage begins later this week, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday. The hospital is one of several medical facilities serving the holy sites during the Hajj.
The Independent
03-06-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
How Saudi Arabia plans to avoid repeat of last year's record Hajj deaths as temperature again hits 50C
Saudi Arabia has introduced stricter rules for Hajj pilgrims amid growing concerns about extreme heat, which took a deadly toll last year. Authorities have warned that temperatures during this year's pilgrimage, in mid-June, could again reach or exceed 50C. With millions of Muslims from around the world expected to arrive in Mecca, authorities have ramped up preparations, aiming to avoid a repeat of last year when over 1,300 deaths were reported due to extreme heat. The kingdom says it is ramping up efforts to keep a track of the health conditions of people with the help of technology and intensifying enforcement against unregistered pilgrims who could be at risk without proper access to shelter and water. There are fines of up to $5,000 and other punitive measures, like deportation, for anyone performing the Hajj without a permit. The policy includes citizens and those with Saudi residency. At a press conference in Mecca, officials said they had stopped 269,678 people without permits from entering the city. Rules only allow people with permits to perform the annual pilgrimage even if they live in the city year-round. Authorities have also imposed penalties on over 23,000 Saudi residents for violating Hajj regulations and revoked the licences of 400 Hajj companies. 'In 2023, over 80 per cent of the 1,300 deaths were unregistered pilgrims,' Saudi health minister Fahad Al-Jalajel said, noting that many of the deceased were elderly or had chronic illnesses. 'This year, we are using technology and coordination with international missions to ensure pilgrims are accounted for and protected.' Authorities are giving pilgrims smart wearable devices that monitor body temperature and heart rate and send alerts if there are signs of heat exhaustion. They are also adding more air-conditioned rest stops, misting stations, shaded areas, and water supply points along key pilgrimage routes. Saudi authorities are also urging pilgrims to take personal precautions, including staying hydrated, using umbrellas, avoiding peak sun hours, and following official guidelines. Pilgrims are now required to carry health ID cards and download the official 'Nusuk' app to access updates, navigation and emergency assistance. The Saudi Arabia n Civil Defense said they were using drones for the first time at the Hajj. The drones could be used for surveillance and monitoring as well as extinguishing fires. The ministry of Islamic affairs has shortened the waiting time between prayer calls at mosques across Mecca during the Hajj period. Worshippers will have less time between the call to prayer and the start of the congregational prayer – a move aimed at reducing long waits in sweltering temperatures. Since the Muslim calendar is typically 10 days shorter than the solar year, the Hajj occurs in summer in some years, increasing the likelihood of dangerously high temperatures. In 2024, Mecca recorded temperatures as high as 51.8C during the pilgrimage. Weather forecasts for 2025 indicate another sweltering Hajj, with the Saudi National Centre for Meteorology warning of 'above-average temperatures' across the region in June. Scientific studies, including by UN bodies, have been warning of extreme heat events becoming deadlier due to the climate crisis, especially in countries with already high summer temperatures like Saudi Arabia. The Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is obligatory for Muslims who are physically and financially able to undertake at least once. This year, Saudi Arabia expects over two million pilgrims to attend.
