Without a mahram or male guardian who is related to them by blood, more than 4,300 women have filed for the Haj pilgrimage. For the first time, many women have applied to travel for Haj alone.
4,314 women are receiving expedited clearance for Haj travel, according to sources in the minority affairs ministry. On Friday, the ministry is anticipated to have approved their applications, allowing them to go to Saudi Arabia.
Applications from women over 45 who want to do the Haj pilgrimage alone have been submitted in substantial numbers to the ministry. The former custom only permitted women to travel for the Haj with their husbands or other relatives who are not legally allowed to wed the lady.
This custom had been abandoned by the BJP-led administration, and the Covid epidemic has caused an increase in applications this year. The first batch of flights to Saudi Arabia is set to depart on May 21, and the applicants are impatiently awaiting their official clearance.
To provide seamless and cost-free healthcare facilities for Haj pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia, the health ministry and the minority affairs ministry have teamed up to establish a new project.
The three major towns of Makkah, Madinah, and Jeddah are being targeted in order to make sure that the pilgrims' health-related issues are adequately addressed.
The project includes free initial health screenings for Haj pilgrims, which are only available through state governments from licensed public hospitals and physicians. The use of government facilities will be free for all medical examinations, including as blood testing, Covid tests, evaluations for pre-existing co-morbidities, heart issues, liver diseases, and renal dialysis, among others.
In contrast to prior years, the Ministry of Health will assist the Ministry of Minority Affairs by providing screening and medical certifications, vaccination procurement and distribution, equipment procurement and distribution, and delegation of healthcare professionals. Also, a program will be utilized to keep track of patients among pilgrims.
The screening and issuance of medical certifications to Haj pilgrims would be the responsibility of authorized government medical officers. In contrast to the prior requirements of MoMA/international travel norms, which only allowed women fewer than 35 weeks pregnant, pregnant females up to 28 weeks will be permitted for Haj 2023.
The new project will concentrate on the standard of pilgrims' medical facilities. A technical team of healthcare professionals will also be sent, and help desks will be set up in various locations, such as airports or Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Also, the government will distribute medications via Saudi Arabia's Jan Aushadhi shops and laboratories.
India has been given a quota of 1,75,025 pilgrims for the year 2023. India now sends the third-largest number of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.
