KUALA LUMPUR, Sixteen personnel forming Tabung Haji's (TH) inaugural team for the 1445H/2024M Hajj Season departed for Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, yesterday, marking the commencement of preparations to support Malaysian pilgrims. They included welfare and medical officers, as well as information technology officers to facilitate smooth communications throughout the upcoming Hajj season. TH Hajj executive director, Datuk Seri Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman said the deployment of all officers to the holy land was organised in phases, with multiple flights starting yesterday, preceding the departure of the first group of pilgrims scheduled for May 9. "The second team of 150 officers is scheduled to depart for Jeddah this Thursday. They include 14 media practitioners from various agencies such as Bernama, RTM, AWANI, and Media Prima. "The third team of 70 individuals will depart on May 6, while the remainder will leave with the pilgrims on May 9," he told Bernama here today. He noted that close to 600 TH officers w ould be dispatched to Saudi Arabia for this year's Hajj season, tasked with overseeing the needs of the pilgrims, and advised the Hajj officers to prioritise their health to fulfill their entrusted responsibilities. "It is our responsibility to fulfill the trust of hosting the guests of the Most Merciful," he said. One hundred chartered flights with Malaysia Airlines and Saudi Airlines will transport all the Hajj pilgrims, while eight departure stations will be utilised nationwide for reporting purposes. They are Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu, Kedah, Bayan Lepas, Senai, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. This year, the Saudi Arabian government approved a quota of 31,600 Hajj slots for Malaysian pilgrims for the year 1445H/2024, based on 0.1 percent of the total Muslim population in the country. Source: BERNAMA News Agency