Implementation Of Health Istithah Don't Weight Hajj Pilgrims

Illustration of Istithah for prospective pilgrims. (Photo: Special)

JAKARTA Member of Commission VIII DPR RI Dini Rahmania asked the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (Kemenhaj), to be careful in implementing the requirements of the istitah (physical and mental ability) for prospective pilgrims.

"We understand the government's good intentions to maintain the safety of pilgrims through strict health checks. But at the same time, we also need to be careful so that this policy does not actually close the right of the people to perform Hajj, especially for those who have been waiting for decades," he said in a written statement, Sunday 9 November.

He emphasized that health istithah is not a tool to refuse, but a means to prepare and protect the congregation.

Therefore, if there is a certain disease, the focus of the Ministry of Hajj is not immediately on not passing, but on how the state can assist, through health supervision, education, or additional medical facilities in the holy land.

Dini revealed that many elderly pilgrims are lightly ill but controlled.

They can still do their activities well, they just need extra attention. Because if it is immediately prohibited, it feels unfair. The state must come with a more humane and data-based approach, not just administrative," he added.

He also hopes that the list of diseases announced by the Ministry of Haj will really be based on strong medical and ethical studies, not unilateral decisions. If there are restrictions, they must be accompanied by an explanation of mitigation and solutions for affected pilgrims.

This politician from the NasDem Party faction suggested that the government form an Independent Inter-Professional Istithah Assessment Team consisting of doctors, ethics, health law experts, and representatives of the congregation.

"This is also to thoroughly evaluate the health data of the congregation for the last 3 years while at the same time seeing the correlation between illness and death or high risk during the pilgrimage," concluded Dini.