The Unified Media Operations Center for Hajj at the Ministry of Media held this evening the “Media Briefing for Hajj 1446 – 2025”, with the participation of the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Engineer Khalid bin Saud Al Tale’, and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Saleh bin Abdulmohsen bin Dakhil.

The Ministry of Health spokesperson confirmed that, with the implementation of the health plans that were prepared with high accuracy and with complete success and flexibility, on this seventh day of Dhul-Hijjah, the general health condition of the pilgrims is reassuring and stable, under the continued care of the health system for them, in accordance with the directives of the leadership that made serving the pilgrim an honor and a sacred responsibility, in which efforts are combined, and in which the highest meanings of faith and dedication are manifested, so that every pilgrim enjoys comprehensive care, reassuring health, and safe performance of his rituals.

He commended the efforts of the health system in serving and caring for the guests of God, to make this ritual a safe and healthy faith experience, pointing to what the system achieved in this year’s Hajj season in terms of intensive efforts to provide the best health services to the pilgrims of the Sacred House of God from their arrival in the Kingdom until their safe and sound return. The system strengthened “health capability,” which is a legitimate principle and a fundamental pillar in enabling pilgrims to perform their rituals safely, through health requirements that were put in place based on the health risks that were observed during the past years.

He praised the role of medical missions from various countries for their commitment to health requirements and their fruitful cooperation in maintaining the health of pilgrims, noting that the health system has raised its level of preparedness in a proactive and integrated manner, and the bed capacity has reached a 60% increase over last year, with the participation of more than 50,000 medical and technical staff to serve the guests of God and take care of their health and provide them with the best comprehensive medical care.

He said: The health system did not overlook the environmental challenges, and took proactive measures to address the high temperatures in cooperation with the Royal Commission for Makkah and the Holy Sites, which included planting more than 10,000 trees, installing 400 additional water coolers, deploying misting fans, and expanding shaded areas to ensure a safer and more comfortable environment for the pilgrims. He pointed out the launch of comprehensive awareness campaigns in eight languages ​​through field teams, media programs, and medical missions, with the provision of the health awareness kit for the Hajj season of 1446, which enables pilgrims to perform the rituals safely and helps them avoid health risks.

He reported that in a qualitative leap to expand the scope of health services in the holy sites, the system inaugurated a new emergency hospital in Mina with a capacity of 200 beds, in cooperation with Kadana Development and Investment Company, and launched 3 additional field hospitals with a capacity of more than 1,200 beds, in partnership with the Ministries of the National Guard, Defense, and Interior, as well as operating 71 emergency points, 900 ambulances, 11 evacuation aircraft, and more than 7,500 paramedics.

Al-Taleh explained that the system employed innovative technologies and artificial intelligence systems to enhance the health of pilgrims, providing high-quality virtual health services through the virtual health hospital, remote patient sensing and monitoring technologies, and the “ECMO” technology that saves the lives of pilgrims suffering from serious respiratory or heart diseases. This year, the partnership with the private sector was strengthened by operating 3 major hospitals in the holy sites, and launching pioneering initiatives that are the first of their kind globally, using drones to accelerate medical supply in the most crowded areas, reducing the delivery time of medicines from an hour to about 5 minutes only in 6 main medical facilities in Arafat and Mina, with additional support by helicopters to overcome ground congestion and ensure rapid supply.

The health system continued to provide its integrated services to the pilgrims during the Hajj season of 1446, and the total number of health services provided, up to the seventh day of Dhu al-Hijjah, exceeded 98,000 health services. Health statistics since the beginning of the season recorded receiving more than 54,000 patients in health centers, about 26,000 cases in emergency departments, in addition to 1,326 patients in outpatient clinics, and the admission of more than 4,800 cases to hospitals, including 2,156 cases that required care in intensive care. The medical teams performed 16 open-heart surgeries and 148 cardiac catheterizations, and dealt with 62 cases of heat exhaustion efficiently and quickly. The number of pilgrims who were provided with preventive services through the ports of entry exceeded 1.4 million pilgrims.

He pointed out that, with the great challenge of the high temperatures this year, the system is working on recording 62 cases of heat stress, including 15 cases today alone, and is working on monitoring them accurately and intervening immediately to protect and save lives. He stressed the importance of pilgrims adhering to health guidelines, such as drinking fluids regularly, taking breaks, and using umbrellas to protect from the sun, in addition to maintaining food hygiene, avoiding exposed or improperly stored food, and consulting a doctor immediately if they feel any fatigue or health symptoms. He emphasized the importance of pilgrims taking care of their health condition, taking the necessary treatment, and avoiding physical exertion and continuous walking without taking a break.

He affirmed that the health system will be with the pilgrim wherever he is, surrounding him with care and attention, and is fully prepared to provide all health services with the best standards, the latest technologies and practices, and the most skilled specialized medical personnel. The system strives to ensure that the experience of the pilgrims is easy and safe, guaranteeing their health and safety from various health risks, reassuring them - thanks to God Almighty - that no cases of outbreaks or significant epidemics have been recorded, and the general health situation is sound and safe, thanks to God.

He called for the pilgrims to communicate and to facilitate access to them everywhere and at all times through their smartphones with the “937” call center around the clock, the “Sehhaty” application, and the Seha Virtual Hospital, to provide health care and consultations in multiple languages.

For his part, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Saleh bin Abdulmohsen bin Dakhil, reviewed the readiness of the environment, water and agriculture sectors, through 12 executive arms, to harness all their capabilities to provide the best services and facilitate the performance of rituals for the guests of God during the Hajj season of 1446, through well-studied and integrated proactive plans that keep pace with the highest quality standards, reflect the directives of the wise leadership - may God support them - and translate the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, in raising the quality of services provided, noting the partnership of various sectors and the integration of national efforts to provide an exceptional experience for the pilgrims of the Sacred House of God, and the integrated system provides its services to the pilgrims of the Sacred House of God around the clock through approximately 5,000 highly trained staff.

Regarding meeting peak water demand and ensuring reliable water supplies, he indicated that the water system has completed its preparations by producing and transporting 1.2 million cubic meters in Mecca and the Holy Sites, with pumping capacities exceeding one million cubic meters per day, and a treatment plant capacity exceeding 750,000 cubic meters per day, in addition to conducting more than 4,000 laboratory tests daily to ensure the quality and safety of the water, and has prepared about 2,000 trained personnel.

He explained that the National Center for Meteorology has strengthened its system by covering the holy sites with 19 automatic and manned monitoring stations, weather radars, and satellite images, which operate around the clock to cover the atmosphere of the holy sites at a rate of 100%, with the aim of enhancing the accuracy and readiness of response and providing meteorological information and data to all concerned sectors related to Hajj operations, noting that the expected temperatures - God willing - in Makkah and the holy sites starting from tomorrow (Wednesday), until next Sunday, will range between a minimum of 32 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 47 degrees Celsius.

He urged all pilgrims, workers and those present in the holy sites to avoid being in open areas during peak times except when necessary, in order to avoid high temperatures, while emphasizing the importance of following the instructions of the concerned authorities.

Regarding environmental compliance, he noted that the National Center for Environmental Compliance conducts monitoring tours on the roads leading to the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Mina, Arafat, Muzdalifah, and Al-Mu'aisim, in addition to carrying out monitoring visits to slaughterhouses, utilizing 160 personnel and 17 air quality monitoring stations. Through four main channels, the National Center for Plant Pest and Animal Disease Prevention and Control (Wiqa') implements an operational plan to combat insect pests, address animal health risks during the transport of animals within the holy sites, enforce biosecurity and hygiene requirements in livestock markets and slaughterhouses, and conduct veterinary inspections before and after slaughter to ensure the safety of tools and equipment.

He touched on equipping the slaughterhouses of the Holy Capital with a capacity of 177,600 heads of livestock per day, distributed over 26 halls. These development works were completed with an increase of 70% compared to last year. The storage capacity for meat in the slaughterhouse refrigerators increased by more than 18,500 carcasses/hour. The center completed the preparation of 221 trained staff, 64 specialized teams, 14 emergency teams, and 13 teams for monitoring and inspection, in addition to equipping 4 aircraft and 24 veterinary clinics equipped to receive all cases.

He noted that the National Agricultural Services Company has deployed 80 employees around the clock at key entry points, including King Abdullah Port in Rabigh, Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah, King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Jeddah Islamic Port, and the Al-Khumrah Animal Quarantine, and has cleared more than 1.8 million head of live livestock to ensure the availability of sufficient numbers of healthy and safe animals. The Ministry is working in coordination with relevant authorities to guarantee the availability of the necessary numbers of live animals as part of its operational plan for the 1446 AH Hajj season.

Regarding the importance of the waste sector, he explained that the National Waste Management Center “Mawan” confirmed its readiness with monitoring and inspection teams, which were equipped in the field to follow up on compliance with the waste management system, in addition to conducting a comprehensive assessment of the waste management system for sacrificial animals. He indicated that all these preparations come in addition to the readiness of the Ministry’s branches in the Makkah and Madinah regions to follow up on all the work of the system, and to ensure the provision of the best services to the guests of God, which will be reflected – God willing, and then through the efforts of the participating entities – in providing high-quality services to millions of pilgrims from all over the world, in addition to citizens and residents of the Kingdom, so that they may enjoy a distinctive spiritual experience, and perform the Hajj pilgrimage with ease, comfort and peace of mind. He asked God Almighty to accept from the pilgrims, and to grant them a blessed Hajj, a commendable endeavor and forgiven sins.