Phone health service for pilgrims from today

RIYADH: The Ministry of Health is launching from today a phone-in service to provide Haj pilgrims with instant health advice. The service — “Sihha Zuyuf Al-Rahman” (Health for the Guests of Allah) — will be formally launched in the presence of senior health officials at the ministry’s call center in Riyadh. The three-week program will be initially limited to journalists for a week to enable them to raise awareness about the services the Ministry of Health provides to local and foreign pilgrims. The service will, after that, be open to pilgrims. “The service will be available through toll free number 800 249 4444 which will greet the caller with ‘Allahumma Labaik’ and subsequently divert his or her call to a medical officer. The service will be in Arabic and will be available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Dec. 3,” said Amal Moawiya Abu Al-Jedaie, the official heading the project. “We have a team of experts to instantly reply to callers seeking medical advice during their pilgrimage,” she said. The team includes consultants, cardiologists, specialists, pharmacists and dentists. The program will be handled by a group of Saudi women who work at the ministry and its hospitals in Riyadh.