The Lagos State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board will today (Tuesday) begin medical screening and vaccination of the 2024 intending Hajj pilgrims.
The board’s Secretary, Saheed Onipede, said this at the weekend, according to a statement on Monday.
Onipede said the screening was designed to ascertain the health status of each pilgrim in fulfilment of the requirements for international travel.
He spoke while monitoring lectures/sensitisation programmes across the local government areas of the state.
He emphasised that medical officials from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital would screen the pilgrims for diabetes, malaria, typhoid, Hepatitis B, and pregnancy tests, among others. He said officials from the Port Health Service in the Federal Ministry of Health would vaccinate the intending pilgrims against diseases such as polio, meningitis and Yellow fever.
“The screening, which will be carried out on a local government basis, starts at 8 am daily from Tuesday, 30 April, and ends on 9 May 2024, at the Shamsi Adisa Thomas Mosque hall, Old Secretariat, GRA, Ikeja.
“According to the schedule, intending pilgrims from Agege, Amuwo Odofin, Badagry and Mushin LGAs would be screened and vaccinated on Tuesday, 30 April. It would be the turn of Ajeromi Ifelodun, Eti-Osa, Kosofe and Oshodi-Isolo on Thursday, 2 May, while Alimosho, Epe, Ifako-ijaiye and Lagos Mainland would have theirs on Monday, 6 May 2024.
“Intending pilgrims from Apapa, Surulere, Ikeja and Lagos Island LGAs shall be vaccinated on Tuesday, 7 May. Shomolu, Ojo and Ikorodu would have their turn on Wednesday, 8th of May while all outstanding and leftovers would be attended to on Thursday, 9 May 2024”, the statement said.
Onipede explained that the collection of results and consultations by medical doctors would also go on simultaneously at the venue.
Earlier in April, the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria directed state pilgrims’ welfare boards to conclude the grouping of intending pilgrims into groups of 45 persons each and upload their data to the e-Track Portal.
The directive was to ensure the ease of visa issuance, and its compliance with the directives of the Saudi authorities mandating the grouping of pilgrims. The commission added that visas would be issued only when pilgrims had completed a group of 45.
