MINA: Near a sprawling tent city outside Makkah, Saudi hospital staff are preparing for a flood of heat-related cases as pilgrims begin Haj this week in sweltering summer temperatures.

The Mina Emergency Hospital is one of 15 such facilities operating just a few weeks a year around the annual pilgrimage which in 2024 saw more than 1,300 people diein the desertheat.

Saudi authorities hope to head off a fatal repeat of last year`s pilgrimage, when temperatures reached 51.8 degrees Celsius. Temperatures this year are forecast to exceed 40 degrees Celsius as one of the world`s largest annual religious gatherings, bringing together devotees from around the globe, officially commences on Wednesday. So far, authorities have recorded 44 cases of heat exhaustion.

Abdullah Asiri, Saudi Arabia`s deputy minister for population health, said at the Mina hospital that `the focus is on heat-related conditions because the Haj coincides with extreme heat`. Brimming with staff but no patients just yet, the hospital is part of the kingdom`s efforts to prepare for `the worst case scenario` after pilgrims descend on Mina, Asiri said.

Defying the scorching heat, pilgrims have already started to flock to Makkah.

As of Sunday, more than 1.4 million pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia forthe multi-day pilgrimage, according to officials. Makkah`s Grand Mosque is serviced by the largest cooling system in the world, according to Saudi state television, with enormous fans and cooled pavements dotting the massive complex.

But outside, hiding from the heat can prove challenging.

Precautionary measures Saudi authorities have asked pilgrims performing the Haj to remain in their tents for several hours during the high point of this week`s pilgrimage, citing high temperatures. Haj Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah has requested that pilgrims refrain from leaving their tents between 10am and 4pm on Thursday.

The `Day of Arafat` traditionally marks the high point of the Haj, when pilgrims scale Mount Arafat on the outskirts of Makkah. There, pilgrims assemble on the 70-metre high hill and its surrounding plain for hours of prayer.

There is little to no shade on Mount Arafat, leaving pilgrims directly exposed to the harsh desert sun for hours.

`We warn against climbing mountains or high places on the Day of Arafat, as it causes extreme physical exertion and increases the risk of heat exhaustion,` the health ministry said in a separate statement published by Saudi media.

The authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials, doubling their efforts against heat-related illness following the lethal heatwave of 2024.

Shaded areas have been expanded by50,000 square metres, thousands more medics will be on standby, and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, the Haj minister said.

Increased capacity Some pilgrims wear caps or carry umbrellas, but others walk on foot without any protection from the sun, like Palestinian Rabah Mansour, 70, who said that after a lifetime of working outside as a farmer, `heat doesn`t bother me`.

`I have been working in the fields since I was a child,` he said, as sweat trickled down his face. While many pilgrims may be overcome with religious fervour, Asiri warned devotees against unnecessarily exposing themselves to harsh conditions.

Badr Shreiteh, another Palestinian pilgrim, said that he believed such hardships on the Haj trail would increase the blessings he reaps. `As you can see, we`re dripping with sweat,` he said, adding: `The more hardship we endure, the more reward we gain.

`Capacity this year has been expanded by more than 60 percent compared to last year,` Asiri said, expecting greater numbers of patients. `That`s why we are doing all of these measures,` he said.

Last year, medical staff treated 2,764 pilgrims for heat exhaustion and other heat-related conditions, according to the health ministry.

To prevent people from needing hospitalisation in the first place, 71 emergency medical points have been set up around Makkah`s holy sites with a focus on `treating patients on the ground before their case deteriorates`, said Asiri.-AFP