Member of Ministry of Health Infectious Diseases National Committee and Head of Pediatric Infectious Diseases King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Dr. Sami Hussin AL Hajjar assured that people around the world specially mass gatherings specialists admire the Kingdom experience and professionalism in handling mass gatherings. The Kingdom is considered one of the leading countries in handling mass gatherings that exceeds 2 million people in a constant and periodical matter whether it's in Hajj or Umra seasons, which lasts the whole year.
Dr. AL Hajjar stated that the Kingdom has proven to the whole world that it can set accurate scientific plans to ensure pilgrims safety, even from epidemics. This can be noticed in the success of 2009 Hajj season where it coincided with the first epidemical spread of H1N1 flu in the 21st century. The national plan to detect H1N1 virus by early diagnose and treat it, accompanied by awareness campaigns to control its transmission.
Moreover, he notified that the king's directions to establish a speciality in mass gatherings are considered a comprehensive and advanced prospective that aims to conduct more studies and researches and raise the medical staff scientific abilities in order to provide the best medical, and preventative services to assure pilgrims' safety. This will make the Kingdom the leading country in mass gatherings medicine in the near future.