Apurva Chandra Releases Comprehensive Healthcare Plan for Haj Pilgrims

On this occasion, Shri Apurva Chandra stated that “this document lays the roadmap of the health services and how those services can be availed by the pilgrims.”

Union Health Secretary Shri Apurva Chandra, in collaboration with the Ministry of Minority Affairs, released a document titled "Medical Care Arrangements for Haj Pilgrimage" today. Shri Mohammed Shahid Alam, Consulate General of India in Jeddah (who joined virtually), and other stakeholders were also present.

Haj is the largest and most enduring annual mass gathering event globally, and the responsibility for medical care arrangements lies with the Emergency Medical Relief Division and the International Health Division of the Directorate General of Health Services under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

On this occasion, Shri Apurva Chandra stated that “this document lays the roadmap of the health services and how those services can be availed by the pilgrims.” He noted that this is only the second year since the healthcare responsibilities have been assigned to the Union Health Ministry and that the experience has provided significant learnings for improving healthcare services. Around 1,75,025 pilgrims undertook the Haj pilgrimage this year from India, of which approximately 40,000 were elderly people above the age of 60. Due to the harsh weather conditions this year, round-the-clock health services were necessary. Last year, oral health and dental care services were added, learning from past experiences. The Union Health Secretary also mentioned that nearly 2 lakh OPDs were conducted this year, along with visits by medical teams to the pilgrims.

Shri Apurva Chandra also highlighted the development of a live portal by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) that provides real-time data and analysis on the pilgrims seeking medical care and the services being provided. “We are continuously monitoring, and this will help us improve our services significantly, such that we become a beacon of excellence to be emulated by other countries,” he added.

The Union Health Secretary emphasized India’s commitment to assisting its citizens wherever they might be, citing examples such as evacuating students from Ukraine and aiding people during the fire incident in Kuwait. He stated that India has even helped citizens from other countries, including European nations during crises.

Smt. L.S. Changsan, Additional Secretary, MoHFW, stressed the importance of comprehensive healthcare planning for such a large gathering, especially in the demanding Saudi Arabian climate. She highlighted the strategic placement of medical teams in Mecca and Medina for the convenience of the pilgrims and the collaboration between MoHFW and NIC in creating a portal for real-time data access on admissions and operations of the health mission. She acknowledged the tireless efforts of the medical teams in Saudi Arabia who are still working hard to ensure the health and safety of pilgrims. She commended the dedication of all stakeholders involved, including the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Consulate General of India, Jeddah, Haj Committee of India, National Informatics Centre (NIC), WHO India, HLL Lifecare Limited (HLL), Central Government Hospitals, all AIIMS, and various states and institutions across the country.

Shri Shahid Alam, Consulate General of India in Jeddah, highlighted the importance of the document for institutionalizing the healthcare arrangement system for Indian pilgrims. He explained the on-field experiences and challenges faced during Haj. Appreciating the efforts of the Indian medical personnel, he informed that the medical services provided by the Indian health mission were highly rated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

The medical care arrangements provided by the Union Health Ministry include revising the medical screening and fitness certificate used to assess the health and fitness of Haj applicants in India, providing health cards to select Haj pilgrims for their journey and stay in KSA, providing vaccines to states for organizing vaccination camps, establishing Health Desks at embarkation points, deputation of healthcare personnel with the support of MoMA, and setting up medical infrastructure at various sites in KSA chosen by MoMA.

The NIC portal can be accessed here.

Dr. Jitendra Prasad, Additional Director General of Health Services; Shri Shobhit Gupta, JS, Ministry of Civil Aviation; Dr. L. Swasticharan, Additional DDG & Director, EMR; Shri Ankur Yadav, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Minority Affairs, and senior officers of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare were present on the occasion.