The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Economic Activity of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The Hajj ritual is considered one of the largest and most geographically, ethnically and culturally diverse mass gathering events in the world, the mass gathering of pilgrims is one of the millions mass gatherings, the size and diversity of the Hajj mass gathering and the length of the Hajj period represents a huge challenge to the public health security of the Saudi authorities and global health security. The aim of this research is to examine the relationship of mass gatherings medicine to crowd management in Hajj and Umrah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The concepts of mass gatherings medicine, mass gatherings health and disaster medicine were reviewed, and the role played by mass gatherings medicine in the Hajj and Umrah crowd management was discussed, through the study and analysis of the growth of healthcare facilities. Health human resources for crowds of pilgrims, health services for crowds of pilgrims, as well as a presentation of the evolution of deaths among crowds of pilgrims, where deaths considered an indicator of the efficient performance of the mass gatherings medicine system. The growth function of the variables was analyzed over time to analyze the relationships of the variables, using the simple regression model, which is the general exponential trend model. The most important results of the research were: Most categories of human resources working in Hajj mass gathering medicine (consultant doctor, deputy doctor, pharmacists, nursing, health administrators) achieved a positive growth rate greater than the positive growth rate for the numbers of pilgrims. Moreover, most of the health services provided (pilgrims’ visits to primary health centers, visits by pilgrims to emergency departments in hospitals, inpatient services in hospitals, cardiac catheterization operations, open-heart operations, dialysis services, endoscopy services, obstetrics services, sun stroke treatment services, and exhaustion treatment services). thermal) for crowds of pilgrims achieved a positive growth rate greater than the positive growth rate of the numbers of pilgrims. Additionally, the deaths among the crowds of pilgrims achieved a negative growth rate compared to the positive growth rate of the numbers of pilgrims. These results indicate that mass gathering medicine plays an important role in the Hajj mass gathering management system. A set of recommendations were put forward in order to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of mass gathering medicine in managing the Hajj and Umrah mass gathering.