Mecca: The Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA) is implementing its operational plan for the 1447 AH Hajj season as part of an integrated national health ecosystem. The plan aims to enhance emergency service readiness and raise response efficiency for emergency cases across pilgrims' locations at the holy sites and roads leading to them.
According to Saudi Press Agency, SRCA spokesperson Dr. Taimour S. Jan stated that the operational plan begins upon pilgrims' arrival at the Kingdom's entry points and extends through a field deployment system covering all stages of the pilgrim journey. The system includes 526 emergency dispatch points distributed according to automated monitoring of density and movement within the Holy Capital, the Grand Mosque, and the holy sites.
He noted that the authority has deployed a fleet of more than 900 emergency vehicles, including 305 ambulances equipped for advanced care and critical-case transport, 20 rapid intervention vehicles 'Ebayya,' 119 golf carts for high-density corridors and camps, 23 motorcycles, 155 scooters, 200 'Rufaidah' electric emergency wheelchairs, 80 bicycles for field monitoring, and seven air ambulances for critical cases.
The plan relies on more than 2,771 emergency personnel and health volunteers, including 1,771 specialized emergency and operational personnel and 1,000 qualified health volunteers. The workforce includes 42 medical control physicians, 1,533 emergency service providers, and 196 medical evacuation specialists operating within a unified field system to support rapid response and service quality.
Jan explained that emergency services are managed through an integrated response pathway beginning with receiving reports, followed by assessment and medical guidance, then field case management and appropriate medical decision-making, whether treatment on site or transfer to health facilities through approved specialized routes.
He added that emergency units are connected to command and control rooms that continuously monitor field indicators and support resource distribution and readiness enhancement, ensuring rapid response and efficient handling of various cases during the Hajj season.