RIYADH (Kashmir English): Minister of Health of Saudi Arabia, Fahad bin Abdul-Rahman Al-Jalajel has said that the use of drone technology for the transfer of medicines and blood samples will be further promoted during the Hajj season.
According to Al-Ekhbariya, while addressing the deliberative session of the fifth edition of the Hajj and Umrah Conference and Exhibition in Jeddah, the Health Minister said that the Kingdom is still following the service methodology laid down by King Abdulaziz.
Health of Hajj pilgrims
“The founder of the Kingdom had given clear instructions in 1952 that the health of Hajj pilgrims should be taken care of in every way. He had instructed to appoint a doctor in every Hajj mission. Although there was a shortage of doctors at that time, the health of pilgrims was the top priority of the Kingdom.”
The Health Minister said that under the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, multiple government agencies are associated with the ‘Khidmat-e-Duyuf Al-Rahman’ program, improving the quality of service for Hajj pilgrims.
He clarified that the health institution, in collaboration with other ministries and institutions, formulates a proactive strategy to better deal with challenges adding various types of challenges are faced, including seasonal, environmental, and epidemic risks.
Fahd Al-Jalajel said, this year, the drone network for the transfer of medicines and blood samples will be expanded during the Hajj season, for which cooperation with relevant companies is ongoing.
The medicines or samples that were transferred by traditional vehicles used to take one and a half to three hours, but with drones, this duration will be reduced to 5 to 10 minutes, which will improve the quality of medical services, he added.
