MAKKAH: The number of Malaysian haj pilgrims arriving in the Holy Land have passed the halfway mark, with Tabung Haji (TH) operations picking up pace to prepare for the pinnacle of haj expected on Aug 20.
There are now 18,306 pilgrims - 12,537 here and 5,769 in Madinah.
Every day, an additional 1,000 pilgrims arrive in the two holy cities respectively.
A total of 41 flights have departed from Malaysia. From Aug 8, all flights would fly direct to Jeddah, with pilgrims heading straight to Makkah.
Pilgrims traditionally visit Madinah to pray at the Prophet's Mosque or Masjid Nabawi, either before they begin the haj rituals or once they have completed it.
The quota for Malaysian pilgrims this year is 30,200.
TH head of the Malaysian 1439H haj delegation Datuk Seri Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman said one pilgrim has died, a 62-year-old woman from Pahang.
"TH would like to express condolences to her family who has been informed of her passing," he said, adding that the cause of death was a blood clot and she has been buried at the Baqi' Cemetery in Madinah.
He said 37 pilgrims have been warded, of which 30 were in TH medical centres and the rest in Saudi hospitals in Makkah and Madinah.
"There have also been a number of pilgrims receiving outpatient treatment, for coughs, flu, joint pain and skin problems."
He said the rate of hospitalisation and deaths have been lower compared to the corresponding period in previous years, but cautioned all parties not to be complacent.
"We have more public health specialists this year who are tasked with identifying pilgrims with health issues and they will be attended to in their rooms. This is the first line of defence.
"We also have mobile clinics aside from those at the maktab."
Pilgrims, he said, should take care as the weather was very hot - 31 degrees Celcius at night and 43 in the day - and they needed to seek early treatment so they would be well during the crucial Masyair period.
He advised pilgrims who have yet to leave Malaysia to be prepared mentally to face large crowds as those from other countries have also arrived.
"Malaysian pilgrims coming here via private packages have also started to arrive. There are 20 travel agencies offering these packages, including TH Travel and Services Sdn Bhd.
"There are 40 hotels in Makkah and nine in Madinah for those under these packages."
Syed Saleh thanked the Saudi Arabian government for making the fast-track immigration process possible this year under its 'Mecca Road' initiative.
The arrival process in both Madinah and Jeddah, for pilgrims going straight to Makkah, have been considerably faster thanks to a new pre-clearance system.
In Madinah, it took just about 45 minutes from disembarkation to pilgrims boarding buses to their hotels, compared to the previous three to six hours, he said.
"In Jeddah, it took only one hour compared to the four to 14 hours previously."