The Supervisor General of the Ministry of Health (MOH) Inventory Control, and Head of the Hajj Inventory Control Supervisory Committee, Mr. Fahd Abdel Karim Al-Babtin, made an inspection tour on Wednesday to the health centers of Mina, the Jamarat Bridge, Mina Al-Wadi Hospital and Mina Al-Jisr Hospital. The visit aimed at making sure that workflow in these facilities proceeds pretty well, and verifying the availability of the medicines and medical supplies provided by the Ministry of Health for the pilgrims in the 1436H Hajj season, within the framework of the integrated health services they receive.
Recently, Mr. Al-Babtin had opened the Annual Meeting of Inventory Observers at Al-Noor Specialist Hospital, with the attendance of 30 committee members participating in this year’s Hajj season. For his part, the Deputy Head of the Hajj Inventory Control Supervisory Committee, Ph. Al-Badri bin Mohamed Abu Hadi, presented two presentations on the work mechanism of the Hajj Inventory Control Supervisory Committee and control of medicines and medial supplies storage standards, in addition to reviewing the plan and mechanism of returning medicines and medical devices from the Holy Sites' health facilities to medical supply warehouses.
Mr. Al-Babtin pointed out that the work plan of the Hajj Inventory Control Supervisory Committee for the 1436H Hajj season is based on three phases tackling pre-, during- and post-operations, highlighting that field tours are paid, under the plan, by work teams to inspect workflow and make sure that legal procedures are adopted when receiving, dispensing or returning items.
Mr. Al-Babtin added that the first phase is meant to make sure that registered inventories are matched to the actual ones, and that the procedures of receiving items are legal. “This phase,” he noted “aims also to verify that items are properly stored and arranged, with labels being placed on them to highlight their names, concentrations and validity dates.”
He noted that those field teams are also tasked with making sure that sites are equipped with refrigerators to keep vaccines, serums and other medications, and that these refrigerators are operating well. Mr. Al-Babtin noted that the tasks of those field teams include making sure of applying all safety and security procedures and completing all procedures related to preparation of sites.
“During the operational phase,” he said, “we verify that medical supplies and medicines were distributed to internal sections using the dispensing forms, and that all emergency drugs were in place and specific medicines and supplies were listed. The pos-operational phase starts after the end of the Hajj season by making sure of filling in the returning official documents and arranging items to be returned. Also, the field teams direct the stock recipients to stick to legal procedures and help them find solutions to any obstacles facing them.”
On the other hand, the Deputy Head of the Hajj Inventory Control Supervisory Committee, Ph. Al-Badri bin Mohamed Abu Hadi, said the Committee plays a great supervisory and regulatory role in the Hajj season by controlling the inventory, including medical and non-medical supplies, and making sure of readiness of all sites and delivery of the needed items to their designated places in line with the applicable procedures. The Committee is also meant to make sure of applying controls and procedures to dispense the medically-used under-control narcotics and psychotropic drugs, and checking their storage places.