Hajj conference spotlights volunteer healthcare success
A session at the sixth Hajj Conference and Exhibition in Jeddah highlighted the evolution of healthcare volunteering in Saudi Arabia and its growing role in supporting services provided to pilgrims, Qazinform News Agency cites SPA.
Speaking at the event’s Hajj Talk platform, General Manager of the Health Volunteer Center at the Ministry of Health Dr. Ahmad Ghazwani reviewed the history of volunteer efforts during Hajj, noting their transformation from individual and charitable initiatives into a structured institutional system integrated with the Kingdom’s healthcare sector.
Ghazwani outlined the development of the Ministry’s healthcare volunteering programs, including the launch of the “Sawaed” initiative in 1439 AH (2017-2018) and the establishment of the Health Volunteer Center in 2019. The center focuses on capacity building, policy development, and coordination among relevant entities to channel volunteer expertise into specialized fields such as rapid response, emergency medical transport, laboratory services, and epidemiological surveillance.
According to Ghazwani, the initiative has accumulated more than 914,000 volunteer hours, generating an estimated economic value exceeding SAR66 million.
During the 1447 AH Hajj season, 4,754 volunteers participated in 309 volunteer opportunities across 15 health regions, delivering services to more than 2.5 million beneficiaries.
The session also highlighted the broad scope of healthcare volunteering, which includes preventive, therapeutic, and emergency services, as well as volunteer training and placement programs tailored to individual expertise. Performance indicators are used to assess impact, improve programs, and expand their reach.
Participants emphasized the importance of documenting volunteers’ experiences in serving pilgrims and strengthening cooperation among government agencies, healthcare institutions, educational organizations, and the nonprofit sector to ensure the sustainability and continued development of healthcare volunteering initiatives.
Earlier, Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement setting the country’s Hajj quota at 4,300 pilgrims for 2027, according to the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan.
