Ahead of Hajj Pilgrims' Move to Madinah, Minister Evaluates Health Services

Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs Mochammad Irfan Yusuf visited the Indonesian Hajj Health Clinic (KKHI) in Madinah to evaluate its readiness for the second wave of Hajj pilgrims moving from Mecca. The inspection focused on the preparedness of health personnel, patient rooms, polyclinics, and overall medical facilities.

“

Services at KKHI must not accept inpatients, in accordance with Saudi Arabian Government regulations.

During his visit, Yusuf and the Hajj delegation were briefed by the head of KKHI Madinah, dr. Enny Nuryanti. She explained that according to Saudi Arabian government regulations, the KKHI is not permitted to admit inpatients, although they maintain a few beds for specific cases. Exceeding this limit could result in warnings.

Assessing the facility, Yusuf found the building's utilization to be suboptimal. Only two of the five floors are currently used for health services, while the remaining three are allocated for other functions that could potentially be relocated. He pointed out this as a "waste" and a key area for future evaluation and discussion in Jakarta.

“

We are ready with several beds for specific patients to serve inpatients. However, we can receive a warning if we serve inpatients.

Yusuf also addressed feedback from Saudi authorities regarding the KKHI's limited function. The facility is permitted for observation for a maximum of two hours before patients must be referred to a hospital. Yusuf questioned the effectiveness of using such a large building for only short-term examinations and expressed the need to develop a service model that aligns with Saudi regulations.

“

In general, there is readiness, but in the future, this service model needs to be reconsidered.

The minister acknowledged that Indonesia faces challenges in adapting to Saudi Arabia's rapidly changing policies, often relying on older service models. This discrepancy frequently causes difficulties in obtaining operational permits, highlighting a gap in aligning Indonesian practices with the latest Saudi regulations.

“

I see there is waste. This will be material for evaluation to be discussed further in Jakarta.