Thai doctors leave for treatment of Hajj pilgrims

SAMUT PRAKAN, August 15 (TNA) - The first group of doctors attached to Thailand’s Public Health Ministry left for Saudi Arabia on Saturday to provide treatment to some 10,400 Thai pilgrims attending the annual Hajj pilgrimage in that country this year. The first group of doctors comprised 15 medical doctors, nurses, pharmacists and the ministry officials left Suvarnabhumi International Airport early in the day. Dr Sura Wisetsak, an assistant to permanent secretary for Public Health, told journalists while seeing them departing the airport that the ministry would this year send altogether 42 doctors and nurses along with medical equipment and medicines to provide treatment to mostly Thai pilgrims attending the Hajj pilgrimage. The medical personnel will be divided into three groups. Dr Sura said medical personnel will be stationed at Mecca and Madinah in Saudi Arabia. Although the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) viral respiratory illness victims are not found in Saudi Arabia this year, Dr Sura said he had instructed the departed medical personnel to always protect themselves with special face masks and alcohol gels for hand washing. (TNA)