Pregnant at 10 Weeks, Hajj Pilgrim from Makassar Fails to Depart

A Hajj pilgrim from the first flight group (kloter) at Makassar Embarkation, originating from Soppeng Regency in South Sulawesi, failed to depart for the Holy Land after being found to be pregnant with a young gestational age.

“We just received information from the health team at the Embarkation that in kloter 1, after the health examination, there is one pilgrim whose test result is positive for pregnancy, from Soppeng Regency,” said the Head of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of South Sulawesi, M Ikbal Ismail, on Tuesday (21/4).

Ikbal explained that the female pilgrim is confirmed not to be able to be sent off based on the examination letter from the medical team at the Sudiang Hajj Dormitory in Makassar.

Her pregnancy, which is only 10 weeks along, is deemed unfit for flying.

“The pilgrim is not fit to fly because her pregnancy is only 10 weeks. Yes, the departure is cancelled. We just received the information, so we immediately reported it to the centre regarding this issue,” he stated.

Ikbal explained that based on Ministry of Health regulations, Hajj pilgrims who may be sent off are those with pregnancies aged 16 weeks or 24 weeks.

“That means pregnancies under 16 weeks are not fit to fly, and those over 26 weeks are not fit to fly. The permitted ones are if the pregnancy is between 16 weeks and 24 weeks,” he clarified.

Ikbal will report the incident to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for follow-up with a proposal to replace the pilgrim.

“Because the rule is 2x24 hours due to the Siskohat process. So there’s a possibility of an empty seat. This is less than 24 hours before kloter 1 departs at 03.20 WITA,” he said.

The pilgrim who was cancelled will be prioritised for departure in the next Hajj season.

“So automatically, the pilgrim will be a priority for the 2027 departure,” he said.