The Religious Affairs Ministry will seek clarity on the meningitis vaccination policy for Umrah pilgrims from Saudi Arabian authorities, following information that the vaccine is no longer mandatory and is only being recommended for pilgrims.
“The ministry, through representatives of the Indonesian government in Saudi Arabia, will immediately coordinate with the competent authorities in Saudi Arabia to obtain clarity on the meningitis vaccine policy,” the ministry’s director general of Hajj and Umrah, Hilman Latief, said in a written statement here on Wednesday.
He conveyed the information during a meeting between the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Directorate General of Disease Prevention and Control (P2P) of the Ministry of Health, and the Umrah Travel Organizer (PPIU) regarding the meningitis vaccine scarcity.
The vaccine scarcity led to the cancellation of Umrah pilgrims’ departure from Juanda Airport, Surabaya, on September 26, 2022.
Latief informed that the number of Umrah pilgrims from Indonesia has continued to increase in the past two months to reach 200 thousand.
However, Umrah implementation has been affected by the scarcity of meningitis vaccines. As per regulations, the Ministry of Health still requires pilgrims to get the meningitis shot.
“Regulations from the Ministry of Health are still the same. Pilgrims and PPIU must comply with the existing regulations regarding meningitis vaccines,” Latief emphasized.
Meanwhile, the Hajj consul at the Indonesian Consulate General in Jeddah, Nasrullah Jasam, said that his party is continuing to coordinate with the Saudi Arabian authorities regarding this matter.
On September 20, Jasam met with a representative from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Abdul Aziz Wazzan, to discuss the meningitis vaccine policy.
“At that time, he firmly said that the meningitis vaccine is only recommended, not mandatory. He had also confirmed this with other Saudi authorities and received confirmation that it was not mandatory,” he said.
Meanwhile, secretary of the Directorate General of P2P of the Health Ministry, Yudhi Pramono, will consult with the director general of P2P, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, to find the best way to anticipate the scarcity of meningitis vaccines.
“We ask PPIU to continue to comply with the provisions and regulations for the implementation of the Umrah pilgrimage, both regulations from the Indonesian government and the Saudi Arabia government,” he said.
Source: Antara News