Government Continues to Improve Health Services for Indonesian Hajj Pilgrims
Jakarta – The government through the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Religion continues to be committed to improving the quality of health services for Indonesian hajj pilgrims. Various improvement efforts are made every year to ensure that the hajj pilgrimage runs smoothly, safely, and pilgrims remain healthy while in the Holy Land.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin explained that there was a sharp decline in the number of Indonesian hajj pilgrims who died during the 2024 hajj pilgrimage. From 773 pilgrims in 2023, it dropped to 461 people in 2024.
“2023 is the peak of the number of deaths of Indonesian pilgrims. I had a chance to talk to the Saudi Arabian Minister of Hajj, who is also a former Saudi Minister of Health, he appealed for the health of Indonesian pilgrims to be improved because the high death rate could have a negative impact on the determination of hajj requirements and insurance premiums in the following year,” said the Minister of Health.
The Minister of Health explained that the achievement of reducing the number of deaths among pilgrims was the result of cross-ministerial collaboration in strengthening the health service system, including the implementation of earlier health checks before departure.
“Many cases of death were caused by pneumonia and heart attacks that were treated too late,” he said.
Therefore, the government has submitted a request to the Saudi Arabian authorities to provide more adequate health facilities around the Grand Mosque, equipped with modern medical equipment and health workers who are able to communicate in Indonesian.
“The Saudi government is now aware that many have died because the referral process is long. With a system of optimizing the role of hospitals in Saudi Arabia, we hope that services will be faster and deaths among pilgrims can be reduced,” concluded the Minister of Health.
The Ministry of Health has prepared 1,766 health workers, compiled clinical guidelines for emergency conditions, and provided facilities such as the Indonesian Hajj Health Clinic (KKHI), health posts at the airport, health sectors in Mecca and Medina, and a fleet of ambulances. Not only that, the distribution of meningitis and polio vaccines, as well as packages of medicines and health supplies, has been carried out comprehensively.
Previously, Minister of Religion Prof. Nasaruddin Umar also ensured that all facilities and services in Medina were ready to welcome the arrival of the first wave of pilgrims.
