“Protecting pilgrims, especially older adults and those at high risk, is our top priority for this year’s Hajj season,” Minister of Hajj and Umrah Mochamad Irfan Yusuf said in a statement received in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Speaking at the Saudi-Indonesian Umrah Co. Exchange forum in Makkah on Monday, the minister emphasized that protection efforts must begin during the preparation phase in Indonesia. This includes reinforcing health istithaah, which he described not merely as an administrative requirement but as a critical safety measure.
“Health istithaah is the primary foundation. We want to ensure that departing pilgrims are physically fit, that their medical conditions are well managed, and that they understand the risks associated with the pilgrimage,” he said.
The government is tightening health screenings, monitoring comorbidities, and providing fitness education for prospective pilgrims, aimed at reducing the number of high-risk individuals before departure.
In Saudi Arabia, health measures will continue through mobility management during the peak phase of the pilgrimage.
Indonesia is emphasizing the optimization of the Murur and Tanazul schemes as strategic steps to reduce extreme exhaustion and overcrowding.
The Murur scheme allows elderly and high-risk pilgrims to pass through Muzdalifah without disembarking from their buses, thereby reducing physical strain and health risks.
Meanwhile, the Tanazul scheme offers some pilgrims an option to return to their hotels early after performing the stoning ritual to help alleviate overcrowding in tents in Mina.
Furthermore, Indonesia has also proposed stationing medical support personnel along the routes to the Jamarat to ensure a faster response to emergencies during the peak of the stoning ritual.
"We are shifting our approach from a reactive to a preventive one. We shouldn’t wait for pilgrims to fall ill; we must ensure they stay healthy throughout the pilgrimage," he remarked.
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Translator: Prisca Triferna, Raka Adji
Editor: Primayanti
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