Port Harcourt — Over 200 medical doctors, nurses and pharmacists have been deployed to Saudi Arabia by the Federal Government to cater for the immediate health needs of the intending Pilgrims to the holy land.

Also about 20,000 doses of vaccines would be used to combat any out-break of any diseases during the hajj operation in Saudi Arabia.

The Amirul Hajj and leader of the federal government delegation in 2009 hajj, Senator Mahmud Kantin Bello disclosed this in Port Harcourt, the state capital, while briefing the intending pilgrims from the South- South Zone at the Port Harcourt International Airport Omagwa.

He explained that, 85,000 intending Pilgrims who registered for the hajj operation have been airlifted to the Holy land.

Senator Kantin Bello said, the remaining 2,000 Pilgrims would soon be airlifted in two days time to Saudi-Arabia to perform annual religious rites.

According to Senator Bello, over 2,000 intending pilgrims from the zone have so far been airlifted to the holy land to perform the yearly hajj operation.The leader of the delegation further expressed delight over the return of airlifting operations at the Port Harcourt International Airport after years of closure to the public.

Our correspondent reports that, the airlifting of intending pilgrims at the Omagwa Airport was a hitch-free exercise.