Karbala Health Directorate Announces Special Plan for Mid-Sha‘ban Pilgrimage

Karbala Health Directorate Announces Special Plan for Mid-Sha‘ban Pilgrimage
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The Karbala Health Directorate announced on Sunday details of its special health plan for the Mid-Sha‘ban pilgrimage, outlining extensive medical, preventive, and emergency measures to serve millions of visitors expected to arrive in the holy city.

The official spokesperson for the directorate, Anwar Hamid Al-Khafaji, said the plan includes therapeutic, preventive, and awareness components, in addition to comprehensive medical support. He stated that more than 96 emergency ambulances have been deployed inside the city and along key access routes to transport critical and emergency cases to hospitals.

According to Al-Khafaji, eight government hospitals have been fully prepared and supported by five private hospitals to receive pilgrims and residents. In addition, three crowd-medicine centers have been opened within the old city—Eastern Abbasiya, Western Abbasiya, and Bab Baghdad—alongside the Sayyida Zainab Al-Kubra Specialized Surgical Center and a health center in the Aoun area. These facilities will provide emergency medical and health services throughout the duration of the pilgrimage, staffed by medical and health personnel working in 24-hour shifts.

He added that more than 20 rapid response teams have been deployed in densely populated and narrow areas that are difficult to access, with the task of transferring critical cases to emergency centers.

Al-Khafaji also said over 55 mobile health teams are monitoring the safety of food and drinking water provided to pilgrims at service processions, restaurants, and markets. These teams collect food samples for testing at the province’s central health laboratory. Health promotion teams have also been deployed to provide public health education and distribute thousands of printed awareness messages urging adherence to Ministry of Health guidelines.

He noted that additional medical support has been provided by the Ministry of Health, including specialized toxicology teams and extra supplies of medicines and medical equipment, alongside support from the holy shrines, the Iraqi army, the Popular Mobilization Forces, and the Red Crescent, all operating medical units throughout the pilgrimage period.