Health Management System of Hajj function

 Health Management System of Hajj function

Executive summary

This proposal is about the Health Management System of Hajj function, which is a global religious event held by Muslims annually. The management of the event has remained a challenge for over the years. It is prone to overcrowding which has continued to cause stampedes. Also, the overcrowding of the event is making the pilgrims vulnerable to contracting communicable diseases. Unfortunately, the current Health System is not able to address the problem. The two main processes considered as key areas to combat the problems are movement coordination and health services. However, the greatest weakness is on the technology used by the management of the event to run the two processes. Largely, the functions are done manually. Even on some occasions, people have got lost while others killed from stampedes. Contagious diseases are also a threat. They are likely to escalate because of poor movement and monitoring strategies. The only technology used currently is mobile applications. It is used to track the pilgrims driving in the area. That is a limit since it cannot support walking pilgrims. Concerning the findings of the case, the suggestions are made for improvement. The two, are the use of RFID, and social media App integrated into mobile technology. The approach will provide a robust of tracking all happenings in the areas. Communications about situations can be done in real-time. It is also possible to detect the overcrowded points. The technologies also will help access and manage health data of all pilgrims. That is essential in planning vaccination programs.

Introduction

In the events where huge human traffics happen, the persons attending continue to be exposed to several health risks. The risks are high with communicable diseases. In the recent past, diseases like Ebola, HIV, SARS, and MERS have posed a threat to human life. They spread fast where people come into contact. That implies, where events with huge crowds occur are more vulnerable. Such activities could include religious congregations, political rallies, conferences and any all other related social gatherings. The health risks are dire since they lead to loss of life (Yamin, 2019). In that regard, it is increasingly becoming vital to manage such events in a manner that reduces the chances of infections. In respect to that, we consider the concept of technology and in particular the use of Management Information System (MIS) in managing human traffic to reduce possible health risks. In the analysis, we utilize the case of Hajj Management.

Case study

Hajj is a Muslim religious event held annually in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Any person who is of Muslim faith irrespective of the geographical location, race, culture, or age can apply to attend the event. They do so through travel agents based in their countries. The event takes place from the 8^th-12^th of Dhulhijja, which is a month of the Islamic calendar. Approximately 3 million participants are granted permission to take part. About ten million people apply to attend (Yamin, 2015). Reasonably, 3 million people is a huge crowd. In any case, there is a contagious disease; the; the impact could be huge. That is because the intense crowd creates a possibility of contamination of contagious diseases. In response to that, the tracking and accessibility, as well as identification of pilgrims, is essential.

Business processes and intended purpose

Hajj management involves several processes. However, for this particular analysis, we focus on the processes of movement coordination and health services management. The process of movement coordination is meant to help the pilgrims move with ease (Yamin, 2019). That is advised to reduce not only the possibility of stampedes but also contact among the attendees. On the other hand, the process of health services management is used to screen and identify possible diseases that can easily transmit among the pilgrims (Yamin, 2015). The two processes concurrently. While the coordination of movement reduces the chances of contact, health services reduce the chances of allowing individuals with contagious diseases to get into the venue. The processes mitigate the possibility of health risks from happening.

Overall business of the chosen organization

The event is a religious one. All the Muslim faiths of the world come together once a year to perform the rituals of Hajj. The purpose of the event is to facilitate the travel and congregation of Muslim believers from around the world. They also organize and manage the event from the date of reporting to the day of closing. During the event, both foreign and local pilgrims attend (Yamin, Huang & Sharma, n. d.). A lot of activities happen. The pilgrim, health management system, is, therefore, aimed at protecting the people who attend from infections. The management system puts in place measures that ensure no disease outbreaks that happen during the event. For example, the health system put in place supports the screening and vaccination of all the participants. The strategy helps reduce the possibility of getting infected in case there was a disease outbreak.

Overall business functions the health management system

Description of the functions

The identified functions of the health management system are movement coordination and health services management. During the Hajj event, several pilgrims attend. They travel from different parts of the world to perform the rituals. However, many of them go missing, while others require urgent medical attention. The occurrence of human jams and health hazards are more likely (Yamin, 2015). The chances of communicable viruses spreading are very high. The situation demands measures to reduce risks. In that regard, one of the functions of the health management system is to ensure the people present do not become so close. They do so by planning how they should move. Also, the health management system is used to detect any possible communicable or contagious diseases that are likely to occur. That is done with the intent to prevent the causes of such illnesses.

Role of IT in the case

The recent outbreaks like HINI virus, bird flu and Corona Virus, is proofing that crowd management will remain a big challenge. All those people in the crowds are vulnerable to such diseases. It is recommendable that a comprehensive medical examination is done to identify and treat diseases. Immunizations can also be administered. However, the process is not to administer. The organizers find it difficult to keep track of all the data about the participants (Yamin & Ades, n. d.). In the current case, the same trend is witnessed. It is not easy to monitor and track personal health information of all the participants. An advanced Management Information System (MIS) is required. Information Technology (IT), can be used to monitor and isolate possible health cases. Further, it is a means of keeping and tracking medical data. Large databases about the pilgrims can be kept.