Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Urges KBIHU to Strengthen Health Readiness for Pilgrims

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is encouraging the Hajj and Umrah Guidance Group (KBIHU) to strengthen assistance in fulfilling the health readiness (istitha’ah) of prospective pilgrims as part of efforts to improve the quality of the 2027 pilgrimage. Director General of Hajj and Umrah Implementation at the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, Puji Raharjo, stated that health is a crucial point in the evaluation of the pilgrimage implementation that requires the attention of all stakeholders, including KBIHU. “KBIHU is expected to help ensure that pilgrims who will depart for Hajj are medically capable. So that during the pilgrimage, they can perform all the rituals,” Puji said during an evaluation meeting held by the KBIHU Communication Forum (FK-KBIHU) in Jakarta on Thursday. During the 2026 Hajj season, the mortality rate among pilgrims was around 360 people. This figure decreased from the previous year, which recorded approximately 447 deaths. Despite the decline, the ministry considers the reduction insufficient and plans to tighten health requirements for prospective pilgrims. “The death rate considered acceptable by Saudi Arabia is 40 per 100,000 pilgrims. Our figure is still many times higher than that,” he noted. He added that the evaluation meeting, attended by FK-KBIHU administrators from various regions, is a crucial moment to gather input for improving the organisation of the Hajj pilgrimage in the coming season. “Without evaluation, we will not know how to make improvements. We hope this forum will produce meaningful recommendations to perfect the Hajj implementation next year,” he said. Meanwhile, FK-KBIHU Chairman Manarul Hidayat stated that his organisation would compile various recommendations from the evaluation to be submitted to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah as material for improvement. He affirmed FK-KBIHU’s commitment to carrying out its guidance and assistance functions for pilgrims in accordance with applicable regulations and to supporting government policies in organising the Hajj. “Today we will evaluate what has been good and what still needs improvement. The results of this evaluation will be submitted to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah as input so that future Hajj implementation can be better,” said Manarul. He added that KBIHU across Indonesia are ready to support the government’s efforts to improve Hajj service quality by strengthening guidance, assistance, and education for pilgrims from before departure until their return to the homeland.