Minister of Hajj Welcomes Return of Mecca PPIH, Vows to Improve Officer Quality

Minister of Hajj and Umrah (Menhaj) Moch. Irfan Yusuf welcomed the arrival of the first group of Hajj Organising Officers (PPIH) from the Mecca working area at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, on Tuesday (23/6). A total of 355 officers returned to Indonesia after completing their duties serving pilgrims during the 1447 H/2026 M Hajj season in Saudi Arabia. On this occasion, Menhaj expressed his appreciation for the dedication and hard work of all officers who assisted and served Indonesian pilgrims during the pilgrimage. “Thank you for all the performance and efforts given in serving Indonesian Hajj pilgrims. The President also expressed appreciation to all officers who worked earnestly during this year’s Hajj operations,” said Menhaj. According to Menhaj, operational services for pilgrims in Mecca have now concluded. To date, 149,736 pilgrims grouped in 387 flight batches (kloter) have arrived back in Indonesia. Meanwhile, approximately 29 per cent of pilgrims, or more than 130 kloter, are still in Medina. They are scheduled to return gradually according to the established flight schedules. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is also still monitoring the condition of 121 pilgrims undergoing treatment in Saudi Arabia. Their repatriation will be carried out after receiving medical recommendations and being declared fit to fly. On another note, Menhaj revealed that the number of pilgrims who have passed away has reached 350. Although this figure is lower than the previous year, the government is still making it an important evaluation point for future Hajj operations. “Going forward, the implementation of health istithaah (fitness) will be tightened and its standards must be applied uniformly across all regions,” he stressed. He assessed that there are still differences in the implementation of health examinations and istithaah determinations in various regions. Therefore, the government will strengthen standardisation so that all prospective pilgrims receive health examinations of the same quality and provisions. Evaluations are also directed at the increasing mortality rate of pilgrims after undergoing the peak Hajj rituals in Arafah, Muzdalifah, and Mina (Armuzna). One factor of concern is the high level of pilgrim activity after completing that phase. “After Armuzna, the physical condition of pilgrims generally declines due to fatigue. Activities such as city tours must be regulated more strictly so as not to endanger the health of pilgrims,” explained Menhaj. In addition to the health aspects of pilgrims, the Ministry of Hajj is also preparing steps to improve the quality of human resources for Hajj officers. Although there are no plans to increase the number of PPIH, the government will strengthen the competence and readiness of officers through more comprehensive training. Previously, the duration of education and training differed between kloter and non-kloter officers. Non-kloter officers attended training for about one month, while kloter officers only underwent training for seven to ten days. “Going forward, all officers will undergo education and training of the same duration, which is about one month. We want all officers to have equal readiness, ability, and service standards,” he said. The Ministry of Hajj will also conduct a thorough evaluation of the officers’ performance. The results of this evaluation will serve as the basis for awarding outstanding officers as well as a reference in preparing for next year’s Hajj operations. “The number of officers will not be increased, but their quality will be continuously improved. The results of this evaluation will be the basis for preparing the next Hajj operations to be more professional, safe, and oriented towards the needs of pilgrims,” he concluded.