The Maldives Hajj Corporation is exploring a partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Abeer Medical Group to enhance healthcare services for Maldivian pilgrims during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage.
Discussions are currently underway to arrange for medical services to be delivered directly to the hotels where Maldivian pilgrims will be accommodated in Makkah. The proposal, if finalised, would see the Saudi National Hospital (SNH) – a facility operated by Abeer Medical Group in Makkah – provide convenient, on-site medical care throughout the pilgrimage period.
Abeer Medical Group is a major healthcare provider in the Gulf region, with an extensive presence in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and India. The collaboration aims to ensure that pilgrims receive timely and accessible medical attention, without the need to travel long distances for treatment.
Officials from both the Hajj Corporation and Abeer Medical Group are reportedly working to finalise the logistics of the proposed service. The initiative follows previous efforts by the Hajj Corporation to expand medical support for pilgrims, which included deploying a medical team of four doctors and five nurses to Makkah and Madinah last year. A fully functioning clinic and pharmacy were also established within the pilgrims’ hotel in Makkah during that time, offering consultations and dispensing medications on-site.
In addition to healthcare arrangements, the government has recently revised its Hajj eligibility policy to prioritise individuals who have not yet performed the pilgrimage. President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has pledged that all pilgrims previously scheduled for this year – and who were already listed in the Hajj Corporation’s queue – will be able to travel as planned.
According to the latest statistics from the Hajj Corporation, 9,115 individuals are currently registered in the queue. Of these, 8,623 are first-time applicants, including 7,150 under the age of 65, 1,370 aged between 65 and 75, and 103 over the age of 75. In total, 7,543 people in the queue are under 65, 1,461 are aged 65 to 75, and 111 are over 75.
The proposed partnership with SNH is seen as part of a broader strategy to improve the overall Hajj experience for Maldivians, with a strong focus on health, safety, and accessibility.
