The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria has implored members of the National Medical Team for the 2024 Hajj to be ready to provide efficient services to the pilgrims voluntarily.

The Executive Chairman of NAHCON, Jalal Arabi, gave the charge on Saturday in Abuja during the screening and inauguration of the team ahead of the inaugural flight scheduled for May 15.

Mr Arabi explained that the system had changed; adding that the primary aim was to volunteer to work as diligent members of the medical team for the 2024 Hajj.

He said, “Fundamentally, you should be ready to do the job and you should be ready to volunteer to do it. That is the primary thing. Do it first whatever follows that will be it. We of our own volition applied because we want to do it. You have been invited here, I mean those that applied to participate in the medical team because you believe that you have something to offer. And I know without an iota of doubt that we all know what is expected of us before, during and after applying for what you want to do.

“And I am conscious of the fact that we know we are in a space occupied by over 200 million but we were only trying our luck, believing that if we are destined to participate Allah will make it possible for us to participate. I don’t mean to scare us anyway, but I owe you the duty to remind you as to the weight of the responsibility that you are about to embark on.”

According to Mr Arabi, it is gladdening that the members of the team have agreed to render voluntary services.

He added, “And you are volunteering to do it, that is something worth commending not even a commendation from me a mortal but commendation from the person that created me and you. What is important and expected of you is the service and the voluntary service but that is not to say that you won’t be acknowledged for whatever contribution you have made.”

The NAHCON boss, however, said that if it was envisaged that there were going to be challenges some funds would be given to the members of the medical team to address them.

He noted, “But certainly not as before, probably not even near what you used to receive in the past. We don’t expect anything less from you as Muslims, we don’t expect anything less from you as men and women of honour in your various professions.’’

On his part, the NAHCON Commissioner of Operations, Anofi Elegushi, said the medical team was one of the most important aspects of the hajj operation.

He said, “Because, a right thinking person will not lead over 60,000 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia to perform hajj without putting standard medical arrangements and facilities for them. Also have competent medical personnel that will man the facilities and I want to advise our medical team to prepare their minds to be able to tolerate our pilgrims.

“The kind of patient you are attending to in various medical facilities are not the same patient that you will be dealing with. They are different people entirely, so you have to be patient with them because some of them believe that you are rendering services that they paid for.”

Also, the Head of the 2024 Hajj Medical Mission, Dr Abubakar Ismael, said, “those that have been screened here, we are already screening their documents in accordance with what the Saudi authority advises us. So that at the end of the day once we collect all their documents as soon as we get to Makkah we just submit the documents in an external hard drive and they will help us to register all our medical personnel.”

He urged the members of the medical team to always put service to humanity first before money or any material gain in the world “and the sky will be our limit.’’

Mr Ismael said, “These are going to be our watchwords in Makkah, Madinah and during our stay in Muna, Arafat and Muzzalifah.”

Over 65,500 pilgrims from Nigeria are expected to join their counterparts from around the world to perform the 2024 Hajj in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

(NAN)