Specialized Cardiac Emergency Zone Launched at Masjid al-Haram

March 14, 2026

The Makkah Health Cluster has activated a dedicated cardiac emergency unit at the Grand Mosque, deploying a 30-member medical team, 10 intensive care beds, and a mobile catheterization lab to respond to heart emergencies among the millions of pilgrims.

Specialized Cardiac Emergency Zone Masjid al-Haram 2

Photo by SPA

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Key Takeaways

The “Safe Heart Zone” is now fully operational at the Grand Mosque, running under the Guests of God Health Program with direct support from King Abdullah Medical City.
The unit includes 10 intensive cardiac care beds, a mobile catheterization lab, ECMO life-support devices, cardiac stents, and a specialized team of 30 qualified healthcare professionals.
The initiative covers cases referred by the Saudi Red Crescent Authority and three adjacent medical centres, creating an integrated cardiac response network around the Grand Mosque.

The Makkah Health Cluster has launched full operations of its dedicated cardiac emergency unit — branded the “Safe Heart Zone” — at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, drawing on the resources of King Abdullah Medical City to bring specialist heart care directly to one of the most densely populated worship sites on earth.

Specialized Cardiac Emergency Zone Masjid al-Haram 1 — Photo by SPA

This operates under the Guests of God Health Program and is designed to drastically cut response times when pilgrims suffer cardiac emergencies during the high-pressure periods of Ramadan and Hajj.

The result is a unit capable of treating critical heart cases at the point of emergency rather than losing precious time transferring patients to distant facilities.

What the Unit Contains

The Safe Heart Zone is built around a core of ten intensive cardiac care beds, staffed by a specialized medical team of 30 qualified healthcare professionals covering the full range of cardiac intervention and critical care disciplines.

At the centre of the unit’s capabilities is a mobile catheterization lab stationed at the Grand Mosque Hospital.

Specialized Cardiac Emergency Zone Masjid al-Haram 3 — Photo by SPA

This facility enables interventional cardiac procedures — including the placement of cardiac stents — to be performed on-site without the need for patient transfer.

For the most critical cases, the unit is equipped with ECMO machines — Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation devices that take over the function of the heart and lungs when a patient’s own organs can no longer sustain life.

Alongside these, the unit carries specialized cardiac medications and follows approved clinical pathways for post-catheterization care and patient referral.