MAKKAH: The Ministry of Health has set up a mobile clinic to provide free dental health services to pilgrims during the Hajj season.
The clinic is stationed outside the entrance to the Al-Haram Emergency Hospital, in the central area around the Grand Mosque in Makkah, to render it accessible to pilgrims.
The project comes in line with the ministry’s goal of improving the quality and efficiency of healthcare and facilitating access to services for visitors to the Grand Mosque.
It is being implemented in partnership with the private sector, represented by Asen Medical Company, whose Chairman Dr. Mohammed Nizar Shaibi, told Arab News that “the launch and maintenance of the mobile dental clinic project for the second consecutive year is one of the biggest successes.”
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Over 76,000 pilgrims have received health care — including open-heart surgeries, dialysis sessions, and endoscopy operations — in Makkah and Madinah since May 21.
The idea behind the clinic, Shaibi said, stemmed from a desire to offer pilgrims a quick solution to toothaches, which can be common and painful enough to distract from their rituals.
“They won’t be feeling calm and peaceful while in pain,” he said.
“Therefore, we are present round the clock near the Grand Mosque to work on easing their pain and creating all the suitable conditions for their comfort and happiness.”
The clinic has helped over 1,000 pilgrims so far by providing them “with all the necessary services in order to complete their rituals with ease,” Shaibi said.
Patients are transferred to the hospital if they need further medical treatment.
The mobile clinic provides dental health services through 32 medical and surgical specialists equipped with modern technology and instruments and available around the clock throughout the Hajj.
The ministry has implemented multiple initiatives to provide healthcare services to pilgrims.
According to a report by the Saudi Press Agency, over 76,000 pilgrims have received health care — including open-heart surgeries, dialysis sessions, and endoscopy operations — in Makkah and Madinah since May 21.
A fleet of over 190 ambulances and 16 emergency centers have been deployed at the Jamarat bridge area at the holy site of Mina.
It was reported on Sunday that a medical team at King Abdullah Medical City saved the life of a female pilgrim in her 70s after she suffered an acute heart attack.
According to the ministry, the team performed an urgent cardiac catheterization, which revealed a blockage in three coronary arteries. The patient was admitted to the cardiology department for critical cases until her condition was stabilized. She recovered in time to complete her Hajj rituals in good health.
