PENANG, 8 April 2016 - “I was quite thrilled with the dedication and support from Malaysia and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in implementing a programme such as this and I am confident that if it could be done well, Malaysia would lead in this field of hajj research,” said Senior Consultant on Infectious Diseases and Chairperson, Research Department, Hospital Prince Mohamed bin Abdul Aziz, Professor Dr. Ziad A. Memish.

Added Ziad, study on hajj matters especially those involving aspects of health need to be increased in order to identify the challenges and obstacles faced by the pilgrims in fulfilling the fifth Pillar of Islam.

“Data collection on hajj matters especially relating to health is essential, but unfortunately there is the lack of such data for referential purposes.”

“The outcome from the study on health matters relating to hajj could assist the government of Saudi Arabia to amend policies or deal with the difficulties concerning the issue. I would encourage researchers to submit their working papers or to publish journals to identify problems faced in other countries,” he said.

Ziad when met at the forum session, ‘The Consequences of Mass Gathering on Health & Medical’ said that, there should be collaborations between researchers at the local, national and international levels to increase the data collection concerning hajj issues.

Besides Ziad, the other panellists in the forum which was part of the Regional Conference on Hajj Best Practices 2016 (RCHAJJ’16), were the Senior Consultant for Respiratory, Institute of Respiratory Medicine (IPR), Professor Dato’ Dr. Haji Abdul Razak Mutallif and Lecturer in Clinical Microbiology, USM School of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor Dr. Zakuan Zainy Deris.

Translation: Mazlan Hanafi Basharudin

Text: Nor Khamisah Saidin (USM Internship Student)