Over 1,000 Hajj pilgrims, on Tuesday July 11, 2017, underwent medical examination at the Hajj Village in Accra. This is in addition to about 3,000 pilgrims that had already been screened in Tamale last week.
The same screening exercise is expected to take place in Kumasi within the week.
The prospective pilgrims were screened for Hepatitis B, diabetes, malaria, and hypertension. Their blood groupings were determined in addition to other essential medical checks to ensure they are in good physical condition before embarking on the pilgrimage.
Speaking to the media, Alhaji Rahman Zak, Deputy Communications Director of the Hajj Board, said medical screening of prospective pilgrims before Hajj is a new initiative taken by the Hajj Board.
The head of the Ghana Hajj Board medical team, Dr Seidu Zakaria, said in the past prospective pilgrims were only required to go for Yellow Fever vaccinations before embarking on the pilgrimage but some health-related challenges often came up later because pilgrims were were not medically screened.
Dr Zakaria indicated that since the team began the screening, they had been able to offer basic treatment for some of the pilgrims at no cost.
Present at the screening was the Chairman of the Hajj Board, Sheikh I.C. Quaye, and the Iranian ambassador to Ghana, among other dignitaries.
Meanwhile, the board has disclosed that six flights will take off from the Tamale International Airport to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from August 10, 2017.
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