MAKKAH: Two more haj pilgrims died in Mina, raising the total number of deaths so far to nine, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom.
He said both pilgrims were men, namely Osman Abdullah @ Wee Chen Kian, 64, from Kg Sageng, Simunjan, Sarawak and Abdul Hamid Hussain, 84.
Osman died of lung infection at the Syisyah Treatment Centre run by Tabung Haji with the cooperation of the Health Ministry, while Abdul Hamid died of heart disease at the Saudi Arabian Hospital, he told Malaysian media after visiting patients at the Syisyah Treatment Centre, here Sunday night.
He was accompanied by the haj delegation head Datuk Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman and the director of the Makkah Medical Operations Dr Mohd Jusoh.
He said so far 66 Malaysian pilgrims were undergoing treatment at Saudi Hospitals and medical centres run by TH and the Health Ministry.
Seven haj pilgrims were admitted to Saudi Arabian hospitals, namely four at the King Abdul Aziz Hospital, here, one in Mina and two others in Arafah, he said.
Meanwhile, at the medical treatment centres run by TH, 36 patients were at the Syisyah Treatment Centre and 23 at the Aziziah Treatment Centre.
Upon returning to Makkah, the haj pilgrims would perform the ‘tawaf’ and ‘saie’ before returning to Malaysia with the first group returning home on Friday morning.
On the management of haj pilgrims by Saudi Arabia this year, Jamil Khir said the management of haj pilgrims was seen to be increasing each year.
However, he said, there were several management aspects that could be improved, including the management of pilgrims during the stoning in Jamarat, Mina where many of the pilgrims were placed far away in tents in Mina and had to stay around Jamarat in large number for the ‘mabit’.
He said the Saudi Arabian government ‘could further improve’ on this matter. — Bernama