A Total Of 310 Prospective Elderly Hajj Pilgrims From Bengkulu Are Vulnerable To Health Problems

Candidates for the Bengkulu elderly pilgrims are preparing to go to the Padang embarkation, West Sumatra. (Between/Anggi Mayasari)

JAKARTA - Head of the Bengkulu Port Health Office (KKP) Ali Isha Wardana said about 310 of the 393 prospective pilgrims who left for Saudi Arabia through the Padang Embarkation, West Sumatra, were vulnerable to their health. "Based on the results of the examination that has been carried out on 393 people, 310 of them have a high risk of their health because they are elderly," he said at the Bengkulu City Hajj Dormitory as quoted by Antara, Sunday.

He said the 310 people had a history of diseases consisting of 254 elderly people, 151 people with high blood pressure, 34 people with diabetes, 22 people with high cholesterol, and 18 people with unknown diseases.

He further said that there were four prospective pilgrims who had been taken to the MYunus Hospital in Bengkulu City because their condition was unstable, but the four of them were declared eligible to take a flight to the Padang Embarkation.

"In addition, there are 11 prospective pilgrims who have received examinations in polyclinics and 33 others are undergoing laboratory examinations, and there are six prospective pilgrims who use aids such as wheelchairs and sticks," he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Regional Office (Kanwil) of the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) Bengkulu Muhammad Abdu explained that today all the pilgrims of Bengkulu's first batch of hajj candidates or the seventh batch of Padang, West Sumatra, had departed.

"Today, the first batch of Bengkulu as many as 393 Hajj candidates have been dispatched to the Padang Embarkation and Hajj candidates who had been treated at the hospital today were able to join the group to leave," he explained.

Bengkulu Province received a hajj quota of 1,363 people and an additional 142 Hajj candidates from the central government.