The Chief of Operations and Head, Medical Team of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Dr Idris Galadima, has lamented the high number of pregnant women from Nigeria performing this year’s Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
Galadima made the lamentation while speaking at the pre-Arafat meeting organised by NAHCON to brief stakeholders, including officials of state pilgrims welfare boards, and leaders, among others.
The head of the medical team blamed state pilgrims boards for their inability to properly screen women to determine whether they are pregnant or not.
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This, according to Galadima was putting Nigerian women at great risk while performing the spiritual exercise considering the rigours associated with the exercise.
He informed that one of such pregnant women already in Saudi Arabia had a miscarriage, adding that she had been treated and discharged.
Giving an overview of the medical mission to the 2022 Hajj, Galadima stated that the team was made up of 365 members, consisting of 139 doctors, among other medical personnel.
He said the medical team, apart from undertaking medical consultations also educate pilgrims and conducts patient tracking in Saudi Arabia’s medical facilities with a view to ensuring that no Nigerian was left behind after the end of the Hajj.
Galadima further informed that one big clinic was set up in Madinah with two outposts, while two main clinics were set up in Makkah with two outposts.
The outposts, he informed, had been attending to between 150 and 200 patients daily, while the clinics attended to between 500 and 600 daily.
A few hours after the closure of Saudi Arabia’s airspace, the leader of the Nigerian medical team said 90 per cent of its personnel, including doctors, nurses and pharmacists, were already in Saudi Arabia, adding that the team met all requirements of the Saudi Arabian authorities to operate during the Hajj period.
He hinted that three cases of Covid-19 were recorded, treated and discharged among the Nigerian contingent, while one case of chickenpox was recorded.
Galadima, however, lamented that one female pilgrim from Nasarawa State lost her life on June 29 in the Holy Land.
Speaking on arrangements put in place for Arafat and the remaining days of Hajj, Galadima said four ambulances were on the ground to attend to emergency cases among Nigerian pilgrims, assuring that every Nigerian tent at Muna would have medical personnel attached to them.
