MADINAH, Apart from the haj personnel brought in from Malaysia, the presence of haj assistants known as PATUH plays an equally important role in facilitating the operations of Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) every haj season.
Most of these assistants originate from Pattani, Thailand; Indonesia, and Bangladesh, alongside Malaysians residing in Saudi Arabia. They are hired to assist in managing Malaysian pilgrims and acting as liaisons between haj personnel and the Saudi Arabian government.
Their proficiency in the Arabic language, and in some cases, fluency in Malay, is a significant advantage in overcoming communication barriers when dealing with locals or authorities.
According to Majed Abdulrahman Taib, one of the PATUHs serving as a clerk at the Madinah Operations Management Office, they are recruited for a two-month period to assist in administration, medical, welfare, zone and hostel management, media and customer service sectors.
The Saudi-based Malaysian said some of them have been serving for over 20 ye
ars in TH operations, and each year, more than 200 applications were received when recruitment opens four months prior to the haj season.
‘For the 1445H/2024 haj season, a total of 69 PATUH have been selected for duties in Madinah, with 49 of them assisting in the welfare sector, while the rest are assigned to medical duties.
‘My first stint as a PATUH assisting TH was in 2013, serving as a driver for the media unit until 2019 when I returned to Malaysia due to COVID-19. I came back to Madinah in 2021,’ he said in an interview with media representatives here.
As he was born and raised here, Majed is well-versed in navigating the intricacies of Saudi Arabia and fluent in Arabic, compared to Malay.
Meanwhile, Shukri Savage Arshad, 51, who hails from Pattani, Thailand, with 20 years of experience as a PATUH said he is always thrilled when he gets selected to assist TH during the haj season.
‘Alhamdulillah, I’m delighted to work with TH as it allows me to support pilgrims while expanding my knowledge and exp
ertise. It also enables me to provide medical assistance to villagers whenever I return to Thailand,’ said Shukri, who is assigned to the medical sector.
Meanwhile, emergency medicine specialist (Madinah) Dr Reza Murad Qamruddin acknowledges the significant contribution of PATUH in aiding healthcare personnel during each haj season.
‘Shukri plays a vital role in facilitating medical referrals to Saudi hospitals as most staff are not proficient in Arabic, which can pose a challenge when there are issues involving Malaysian pilgrims.
‘So, he acts as a translator, making communication with local hospitals smoother and more efficient. I believe that this is one of his most important roles in assisting us,’ he said.
For this year’s haj season, a total of 600 personnel, including medical, welfare and information technology officers, have been deployed by TH to ensure the smooth running of haj operation and the welfare of pilgrims.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency