The Ministry of Health completes the readiness of the 937 call center to serve pilgrims
Ministry of Health preparations for Hajj season
As part of the Saudi government's ongoing efforts to ensure the comfort and safety of pilgrims performing Hajj, the Saudi Ministry of Health announced the full operational readiness of its 937 call center. This strategic step is part of comprehensive preparations for the Hajj season, with the center aiming to provide integrated healthcare and accurate medical consultations to pilgrims around the clock, reflecting the Kingdom's commitment to utilizing all available resources to serve the pilgrims.
General context and historical development of Hajj health services
Historically, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has placed great importance on the health of pilgrims, a commitment that has been firmly established since its founding. With rapid technological advancements and the launch of Vision 2030, specifically the "Serving the Guests of God" program, the health sector has undergone a tremendous digital transformation. The 937 call center is one of the most significant outcomes of this digital transformation, evolving from a simple hotline for receiving complaints into a comprehensive health command center that provides telemedicine, manages crises, and offers health guidance to pilgrims before, during, and after performing the Hajj rituals.
Comprehensive services across multiple channels
The Ministry of Health explained that the center offers its services through five different communication channels to facilitate access for all pilgrims. These services include:
- Receiving calls and answering medical inquiries.
- Providing immediate health consultations.
- Addressing complaints and reports related to health facilities through urgent and effective mechanisms.
- Providing accurate information about the condition of pilgrims hospitalized in hospitals and health centers within the holy sites.
Multilingualism: A global response to the needs of pilgrims
To overcome language barriers and provide optimal service, the 937 Center is equipped with simultaneous interpretation services for the most commonly spoken languages among pilgrims during Hajj. These languages include English, Urdu, French, Indonesian, Turkish, and Persian. This linguistic diversity reflects a deep understanding of the pilgrims' demographics and enables effective communication, ensuring pilgrims receive medical care easily and conveniently, without any communication obstacles.
The importance and expected impact of the center's services
Locally, the 937 call center helps alleviate the burden on hospitals and health centers in Mecca, Medina, and the Holy Sites by triaging cases and providing remote treatment for minor ailments. Regionally and internationally, the Kingdom's success in managing millions of pilgrims in a health-conscious manner reinforces its global leadership in the field of "mass gathering medicine." Furthermore, providing information about hospitalized pilgrims in their native languages sends an international message of reassurance to their families and underscores to the world that the health and safety of pilgrims is a top priority.
It is worth mentioning that the center operates with high efficiency, managed by specialized staff including a select group of administrators, specialists, and medical consultants, to ensure an immediate and professional response that meets all the health needs of the pilgrims, and makes their spiritual journey a safe and healthy experience par excellence.
