1.The Fundamental Of Hajj Demand For Health Care Services Within Congestion In Makkah
Nor Radhiah MN ; Rosminah M ; Suhaimi AW ; Omar O
Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine 2017;17(1):84-93
The large population of human congestion in Makkah during Hajj would promote contagious diseases. Thus, the pilgrims
require health care services that are efficient, effective, and high quality. The aim of this study is to determine the type
of health-related problems among Malaysian pilgrims and to identify the health care services required by them during
Hajj in Makkah. A cross-sectional study was conducted in which involved 379 Malaysian pilgrims in 2013/14234H. The
survey was conducted after the pilgrims completed their Hajj ritual. A total of 400 sets of questionnaires were
distributed at Abraj Janadriyah Hotel, which was occupied by more than 3000 Malaysian pilgrims. The response rate for
this survey was 93%. Male respondents were constituted of 49.6% and female respondents were 50.4% with the mean age
52 years old. The underlying disease among Malaysian pilgrims during Hajj was respiratory disease (77.5%). The demands
for health personnel (36.1%) and quality medication (34.7%) are among the important healthcare services required by the
Malaysian pilgrims in Makkah. Respiratory disease is a common disease experienced by Malaysian pilgrims in Makkah. A
certain types of services such as health personnel and quality medicine are strongly demanded by the Malaysian pilgrims
to overcome their health problem during Hajj. This research provides a fundamental input to the health care providers,
and also benefited the Hajj management authority to improve the quality of hajj management in future
2.The Measurement Of Quality Of Life Among Population Within The Crowd: A Case Study Among Malaysian Pilgrims In Makkah
Siti Fatimah MN ; Rosminah M ; Suhaimi AW ; Omar O
Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine 2017;17(1):137-145
Hajj and ‘Umrah pilgrimage are a huge congregation performed by Muslims in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The pilgrimage
causes overcrowding and congestion that can lead to a high risk of health problems, especially when pilgrims have
health problems. The purpose of this study is to assess the reliability of EQ-5D as a measuring tool to capture the
health status of the pilgrims. Data collection was done during Ramadhan’s ‘Umrah in 2014. In this cross-sectional
study, a total of 300 self-administered questionnaires attached with the EQ-5D-5L questions were distributed to
Malaysian ‘Umrah pilgrims in Makkah and willing to participate in the study. The outcomes from the questionnaires
and EQ-5D-5L were systematically analysed by using the SPSS software. The response rate was 64%, involved female
(53%) and male (47%) respondents with the mean age of 55 years old. Hypertension (21.5%) and diabetes (16.2%) were
the commonest underlying health problems suffered by the respondents in this study. Based on the EQ-5D outcomes,
53.3% of the respondents had no problem in their movement. However, the mean of EQ-VAS (visual analogue scale)
presented 83 out of 100 scaling point, which means they might have problems in their health status. In addition, this
study revealed, respondents with underlying illnesses had difficulty in some dimensions in EQ-5D. Hypertension was
identified as the commonest underlying disease amongst the pilgrims. A contradicted outcome from the objective
and subjective measuring scales of EQ-5D and EQ-VAS respectively; presented its sensitivity of EuroQol as a
measuring tool for the quality of life among pilgrims living within such congestion