House of Representatives Urges Health Guidance for Prospective Hajj Pilgrims to Begin a Year Before Departure

Commission VIII of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) proposes a health guidance program for prospective Hajj pilgrims starting from the determination of departure status to ensure health istitha'ah standards are met earlier.

Oleh Admin Portal 04 Jul 2026 2 menit baca 💬 0 komentar

Sumber: storage.nu.or.id

Commission VIII of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR RI) has officially put forward a strategic proposal regarding the quality improvement of the Hajj pilgrimage organization, particularly on the pilgrims' health aspect. Chairman of Commission VIII, Marwan Dasopang, emphasized the need to accelerate health guidance, starting from when prospective pilgrims are designated as Hajj participants, ideally one year before departure time.

This step was taken in response to the importance of fulfilling the health istitha'ah (fitness/capability) requirements. According to Marwan, with a longer preparation period, prospective pilgrims have the opportunity to optimally improve their physical and health conditions. This approach is expected to minimize feelings of disappointment or perceived unfair treatment among pilgrims whose departures are forced to be cancelled due to last-minute medical conditions.

However, Marwan acknowledged real challenges regarding infrastructure limitations at the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (Kemenhaj). Currently, the ministry lacks an adequate system to perform intensive health monitoring and care from the initial stage of designation. Therefore, he encouraged further study on potential collaborations with various stakeholders to support the health program.

On the other hand, discussions regarding the 2026 Hajj organization also highlighted cost challenges. Marwan warned of a potential increase in the Hajj Pilgrimage Cost (BPIH) triggered by global price fluctuations, especially in the flight component. Nevertheless, the legislature remains committed to efforts to press costs down so they remain reasonable for pilgrims.

Responding to this, Secretary General of Kemenhaj, Teguh Dwi Nugroho, stated that evaluation results from this year's Hajj organization will serve as the main basis for improvements in the upcoming season. The ministry is committed to building a Hajj service ecosystem that is more professional, adaptive, and human-centric to provide maximum comfort for the guests of Allah.