The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) says it has treated over 15 acute psychiatric patients, 3 miscarriage cases, among others, in the just concluded Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

Head of the NAHCON medical team, Dr. Sani Garba, disclosed this during the post Hajj review meeting in Mecca, on Tuesday.

?We really had difficulty managing over 15 patients that have acute psychiatric illnesses. It?s challenging for us,? he said.

Garba noted that the greatest challenge faced by his team was the access to the antipsychotic drugs in Saudi Arabia.

?We were not allowed to purchase these drugs. We only take our patients to Saudi hospitals for a shot and return them back,? he said.

Garba said they came across patients with family psychiatric traits, who couldn?t access their prescribed drugs, and were not allowed to bring them into the holy land.

?It?s quite challenging, so we are calling on the management to take up this issue,? he advised.

He revealed that the commission also recorded at least four pregnancy and pregnancy-related cases during the spiritual journey.

?There were four pregnancy cases, and the outcome of which, three had miscarriage and one delivered in Madina. There was a total of nine mortality,? he said.

Dr. Garba further explained that his team rendered services under four major departments: consultation; emergency; reference services, infection and prevention under public education.

?We manage our patients under 2,012 offices scattered all over the tents where our medical team rendered service to our pilgrims,? he said.

On the emergency reference services, Garba said it constituted 14 doctors, 18 nurses and 8 pharmacists that delivered services to pilgrims in Mishair.

?During the Mina and Arafat, our team had rendered services to 10,886 patients in the over 20 field offices scattered all over the tents.

?6,340 were male and 4,546 were female, and the total consultation right from the time the Hajj operations of 2025 started.

?A total of 15,186 patients were consulted, within which 8,460 were male and 6,726 were female,? he added.

Of the total number of patients, Garba said elderly persons constituted 40 percent of the patients attended to under emergency.

?This depicts that the elderly patients already have an underlying chronic medical condition, and when they come to the mishair, they became precipitate.

?41 patients were resuscitated in the ambulances and 21 were on referral to Mina and other health care centers in Mecca,? he said.

He also said that most of the patients were diagnosed with severe dehydration and psychiatric illnesses which constitute a reasonable amount of patients.

?We manage patients with different categories of drugs that include, antipsychotic, analgesic, anti-diabetics, anti-hypertensive, antibiotics and other related drugs,? he added.

He said that two ambulances were on stand-by, dedicated to render emergency service, where a total of 68 pilgrims were attended under that arrangement. (Daily Trust: Text, Excluding Headline)

? Pilgrims observing the 2025 hajj

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