Many pregnant women sneaked into Saudi, Hajj commission laments

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has expressed concern over the number of pregnant women that sneaked into Saudi Arabia for the ongoing Hajj exercise.

Dr Usman Galadima, the head of the Nigerian Medical Team to the 2023 Hajj, expressed the concern on Wednesday in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, during a chat with members of the Hajj National Media Team.

Galadima said one of such pregnant women was assisted to put to bed, while some others were referred to a women’s hospital for proper medical attention and care.

According to him, it is not permitted to allow pregnant women to embark on pilgrimage due to the stress, risks and hazards they are exposed to or can encounter during the exercise.

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He also expressed worry that some pilgrims with underlining illnesses came to the holy land without their authorised medicaments.

Galadima said that Saudi security, at the airports, would allow entry with such prescription drugs if they were in their original packs and of reasonable quantity.

Galadima, however, said that information reaching him was such that the drugs were normally seized right from Nigeria and not at any of the Saudi airports.

He added that this was due to a lack of proper information, enlightenment and education on such drugs and medicaments, as they relate to such patients.

Galadima said that this had exposed some of the patients to high risks and, ultimately, admission and referrals to Saudi hospitals as some of them were recording sugar and blood pressure, reaching crisis levels. (NAN)