Six Nigerian pilgrims participating in the 2023 Hajj have died in the course of the exercise, an official of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has disclosed.

The head of the NAHCON 2023 Hajj medical team, Usman Galadima, disclosed this on Saturday during a meeting of the commission in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Mr Galadima, in his presentation, said the delegations from Osun and Kaduna states for the 2023 Hajj recorded two deaths each, while Plateau State recorded one.

To address the mortality rate, Mr Galadima called for the strengthening of the pre-hajj medical screening of intending pilgrims. He added that there is a need to restrict those deemed to be “not fit to travel”.

“What we are asking is that the pre-hajj medical screening should be strengthened. Any particular pilgrim is either fit or not fit to perform hajj. It is a pre-requisite for the hajj, to be healthy and have the means. We advocate for strong or very effective pre-hajj screening for hajj,” Mr Galadima said.

Speaking further, he added that the team also diagnosed 30 patients with mental challenges currently undergoing treatment and expected to perform hajj.

“We have been managing them in our facilities. We have about four psychiatrists in the team. We have been managing them and all of them would likely perform hajj because they are a bit stable now,” Mr Galadima said.

The official also said that the 2023 Hajj clinic recorded two miscarriages and delivered one baby.

“One of the babies was delivered through the Caesarian section – it was a seven-month pregnancy,” he said.

He disclosed that one patient was amputated due to diabetes complications. Aside from the one case of amputation, Mr Galadima said the team is also worried about the rising cases of fractures among older pilgrims.

He said eight cases of fractures have been recorded by the medical team.

In his opening remarks, the chairman of the commission, Zikrullah Hassan, said every Nigerian with a valid visa for the 2023 Hajj has been airlifted to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“We brought in every available Nigerian that has a visa – we have been able to bring them to the Holy Land. In this town today, we have more than 95,000 Nigerians,” Mr Hassan said.

Over two million pilgrims are expected to participate in the 2023 Hajj exercise.