REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Commission VIII on Religious Affairs of the House of Representatives has urged the government to increase its services for Indonesian Hajj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, particularly for the elderly who are at high risk.
"This is in line with the government's program, which gives priority to the departure of elderly Hajj pilgrims. The pilgrims of this age group are vulnerable to various diseases," Commission VIII Chairman Saleh Partaonan Daulay stated here on Monday.
Daulay, who is a politician of the National Mandate Party, remarked that Commission VIII's Hajj Management Agency's Working Committee had conducted a working visit to Saudi Arabia, including observing the Indonesian Hajj medical center there.
He pointed that there were currently no new facilities in the medical center. The existing healthcare facilities were not far different from those in 2015.
"Last year's facilities were far from adequate. Therefore, we urge the government to increase the health facilities there," he emphasized.
Daulay noted that the Indonesian Hajj medical center should have met the international standard set by the Saudi government.
"Our medical center is yet to meet the set standard. It should have followed the standard outlined by the Joint Commission International (JCI)," he affirmed.
The JCI is a body focusing on facilities, medical personnel, cleanliness, and design of treatment rooms. However, Daulay believes that the Indonesian Hajj medical center still lagged behind the set standard.