23 Turkish citizens lose lives during Hajj pilgrimage despite medical support
More than 2 million Muslims who travel to the holy land to perform the Hajj pilgrimage becoming pilgrims, Makkah, Saudi Arabia, June 16, 2024. (AA Photo)
The number of Turkish citizens who lost lives during the Hajj pilgrimage in the holy land surged to 23.
Reports indicate that these deaths occurred while Turkish citizens were fulfilling their religious duties during the Hajj pilgrimage. Many of the deceased individuals reportedly suffered from cardiovascular diseases and infections.
Extensive medical service
The Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) provided extensive health services during the 2024 Hajj organization, conducting over 56,000 medical examinations.
Most medical services for pilgrims were administered at the Diyanet Mecca Hospital, which boasts a staff of over 500 healthcare professionals and offers secondary and tertiary care facilities.
The hospital, equipped with 100 beds, polyclinics specializing in 20 fields, an emergency department, an imaging center and a dental clinic, also introduced a children’s polyclinic for the first time this year.
Hotline for pilgrims
To support pilgrims, the Presidency of Religious Affairs established a 24/7 “Consultation Hotline” in the holy lands to assist with issues such as lost pilgrims or difficulties in finding accommodations. Pilgrims were provided with cards containing hotline information upon departure from Türkiye, ensuring access to emergency contact numbers.
Authorities emphasized that incidents of pilgrims getting lost mostly stemmed from confusion in locating their hotels.
They affirmed that thanks to implemented measures for Turkish pilgrims, overall, there were no significant difficulties encountered.
