«البرنامج الصحي التطوعي» يباشر أعماله بـ650 متطوعاً لخدمة الحجاج في «المشاعر»

The volunteer teams for the seventeenth season of the health volunteer program for Hajj this year 1446 AH have started to flow into the holy sites to serve the guests of Allah.

The teams began their work on the evening of the eighth day of Dhul-Hijjah and on the ninth day in Arafat, according to the plan for distributing volunteer health care points in Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah, as well as pedestrian routes, which align with the plans for the movement and grouping of pilgrims during the rituals; to ensure the provision of high-quality field health services, alongside activating the preventive and awareness aspects.

The number of field volunteer teams reached 110, distributed across vital locations in the holy sites, in addition to covering the Jamarat Bridge with its four levels in Mina to provide primary health care and enhance health awareness and education to reduce serious injuries.

The Chairman of the Charity Association for Primary Health Care (Dirham Waqaya), Dr. Jaser Al-Shahri, explained that the 650 volunteers underwent an intensive training program covering both theoretical and practical aspects for 4 consecutive days, including 6 hours remotely, with a total of 3,900 training hours. Dr. Al-Shahri stated that the teams received intensive training to master dealing with common health cases during the Hajj season, such as heat exhaustion, heat strokes, how to differentiate between them, treating diabetic foot injuries and cases of fatigue, methods for sorting cases during disasters - God forbid - and the ability to distinguish cases that require referral to health centers.

He pointed out that the teams arrived in Mina early in the morning of the Day of Tarwiyah at the pre-prepared locations in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, thus announcing the arrival of the zero hour to perform their missions.

The Charity Association for Primary Health Care "Dirham Waqaya" implements the health volunteer program for Hajj in its seventeenth season; under the supervision of the Ministry of Health and the Health Cluster in Mecca, represented by King Abdullah Medical City, the National Center for the Development of the Non-Profit Sector, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, the Guest of Allah Service Program, and the Red Crescent, continuing to invest in the sons and daughters of this great nation to provide health care for pilgrims every year. The program aims to raise health awareness and reduce health risks that pilgrims may face, achieving integration and effective participation between the government and private sectors, and between the charitable and governmental sectors.

The program aims to spread and enhance the culture of volunteering among medical students and health specialties. It also aims to enhance the role of innovation and its applications in the health field, crowd management, and increase rates of scientific cooperation with various research centers and research programs, ensuring the establishment of a suitable work environment for conducting research and programs targeting pilgrims and those working in Hajj to achieve the desired goals in enhancing the health of the guests of Allah, contributing to achieving the objectives of the Guest of Allah Service Program launched by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz in 2019.

The program's role is to provide the opportunity for as many Muslims as possible to perform the obligatory Hajj and Umrah rites to the fullest, and to enrich and deepen their experience by preparing the Two Holy Mosques, achieving the global message of Islam, and providing the best services before, during, and after their visit to Mecca and Medina and the holy sites, reflecting the honorable and civilized image of the Kingdom in serving the Two Holy Mosques and the guests of Allah.