The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has raised serious concerns over restricted access to antipsychotic medications during the recently concluded Hajj pilgrimage, revealing that medical teams struggled to treat over 15 acute psychiatric cases under challenging circumstances.
Dr. Sani Garba, head of the NAHCON medical team, disclosed these difficulties during a post-Hajj review meeting held in Mecca on Tuesday. He highlighted the medication restrictions as one of the most significant challenges faced by healthcare providers supporting Nigerian pilgrims.
"We really had difficulty managing over 15 patients with acute psychiatric illnesses. It's challenging for us," Dr. Garba explained. "We were not allowed to buy these drugs, so we had to take our patients to Saudi hospitals for injections and return them to the camps afterward."
Medication Restrictions Impact Pilgrim Care
According to Dr. Garba, several affected pilgrims had known family psychiatric histories but were unable to bring their prescribed medications into Saudi Arabia due to strict regulations. This created significant complications for both patients and medical staff throughout the pilgrimage.
The NAHCON medical head has called on Nigerian authorities to address this issue through diplomatic channels and advocate for better access to crucial psychiatric medications during future pilgrimages.
Additional Medical Challenges
Beyond psychiatric care difficulties, Dr. Garba reported that the medical team also handled three miscarriages and one delivery in Madina. He confirmed that a total of nine mortalities were recorded during this year's pilgrimage.
Despite these challenges, Dr. Garba commended the medical team for their dedication and resilience, noting that they worked tirelessly to ensure the health and safety of Nigerian pilgrims throughout the sacred journey.
This report comes amid other Hajj-related developments, including a recent fire incident at a Nigerian pilgrims' hotel in Makkah, which fortunately resulted in no casualties according to NAHCON confirmation.
Follow BenriNews for more updates on Hajj operations and Nigerian pilgrim affairs:
