Umrah on Dialysis — The Complete Planning Guide

Many people on dialysis believe Umrah is out of reach for them. For many, it is not. Pilgrims on haemodialysis do perform Umrah, with sessions arranged in Makkah and Madinah around the rites. But it takes more planning than any other kind of trip, and it only works if your own kidney team is part of the plan from the start.

This guide explains how dialysis works for pilgrims, what your nephrologist needs to do, how to choose where to stay, and what it costs. It is general information. Every medical decision belongs to you and your own doctors.

The honest starting point

Before anything is booked, three things need to be true:

• Your nephrologist agrees you are fit to travel. They know your condition, your stability and your treatment better than anyone.
• Your sessions can be arranged for your dates in both cities, confirmed in writing before you pay for flights.
• The trip is planned around dialysis, not the other way round. Dialysis days and the rites have to fit together.

If any of these is uncertain, it is better to wait than to travel hoping it will work out. A missed session abroad is not a small problem.

Start early. A UK pilgrim-health charity recommends telling your kidney consultant about six months before travel and your home dialysis unit about two months before, so they can prepare transfer reports.

How dialysis works in Makkah and Madinah

Pilgrims usually have two kinds of option:

• Private dialysis centres. You book sessions in advance and pay the centre directly. Slots can usually be confirmed for specific dates and times.
• Government hospitals. Government hospitals in Makkah and Madinah have provided dialysis to Umrah visitors, but availability is not guaranteed, waits can be long, and visitors are often given night slots. Do not rely on a government slot unless it has been confirmed.

Whichever you use, sessions need to be confirmed for your exact dates before you travel, with the address, times and price in writing. Plan what happens if a session is moved: who rebooks it, and how quickly.

Fit the rites around the sessions. Ask your kidney team how you are likely to feel after a session, and plan tawaf and sa'i for when you are at your strongest. Tawaf and sa'i can also be performed seated, in a wheelchair or on an electric cart.

Your Indian nephrologist's role

Your nephrologist is the most important person in the plan. Ask them for:

• A dialysis prescription and medical report. Dialysis centres abroad ask for these before they accept a visiting patient.
• Recent blood tests that dialysis centres usually ask for, including virology (hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV). Ask how recent they need to be for the centre you will use.
• Your full medicine list and a letter covering your medicines, which you will need for travel.
• Advice on fitness to fly and anything to change for the flight.
• Advice on fluids and diet in the heat. General advice to pilgrims is to drink water frequently, but the US National Kidney Foundation advises people on haemodialysis to follow their care team's fluid guidance. Ask your kidney team how to manage fluids in the heat, and follow their advice.
• A plan for problems: what to do about a missed or shortened session, swelling, breathlessness or a problem with your access, and who to contact.

Also ask your nephrologist about vaccinations. Every Umrah pilgrim needs a meningococcal vaccination at least 10 days before arrival, and Saudi Arabia requires proof of COVID-19 vaccination or immunity from pilgrims with chronic kidney failure.

Choosing hotels by treatment proximity

For most pilgrims the question is how close the hotel is to the Haram. On dialysis, there is a second question: how far is the hotel from the dialysis centre?

• Measure both journeys, to the Haram and to the centre, in real travel time, not straight-line distance.
• Plan transport to every session in advance, both ways, including night sessions.
• Choose a hotel with lifts and a short, level walk to the Haram, because you will often be tired.
• Check the room: a fridge for any medicines that need it, and easy access to the bathroom.
• If you are splitting your stay between Makkah and Madinah, plan the move between cities on a non-dialysis day, and confirm sessions in both.

The fistula, the flights, the insurance

Your access. Look after your fistula or graft the way your team has taught you. The US National Kidney Foundation advises:

• checking for the vibration (the "thrill") several times a day, and calling your dialysis team if it changes or stops
• not letting anyone take your blood pressure or blood on your access arm
• avoiding tight clothing, jewellery and carrying heavy bags on that arm, and not sleeping on it

On a trip, that means carrying your bags on the other arm, and telling airline and hotel staff about your access if you need help.

The flights.

• Book flights that fit your dialysis schedule. Ask your kidney team how to time your sessions around the flights.
• Request wheelchair assistance for every segment when you book, if you need it.
• Ask your airline about its medical form. Many airlines use a medical information form, completed by your doctor, for passengers who need oxygen, an escort or special help on board. Requirements and deadlines differ by airline.
• Carry your medical documents in your hand luggage, with your medicines.

Insurance. The Umrah visa includes mandatory health insurance for emergencies inside Saudi Arabia. The official policy lists urgent dialysis among its emergency benefits, with a reported overall limit of SAR 100,000. It is emergency cover, so do not assume it pays for your planned, regular sessions. Buy travel insurance that declares your kidney condition and dialysis, and read what it covers before you travel.

Costs — what families actually pay for

There is no official price list for dialysis for visitors, and prices vary by centre, city and season. Families typically pay for:

• Each dialysis session at a private centre, paid to the centre directly. Ask for the price per session in writing when the slot is confirmed.
• Transport to and from every session.
• A hotel chosen for both the Haram and the centre, which may cost more than the cheapest option.
• Travel insurance that declares the condition.
• Mobility help such as wheelchairs, pushers or electric carts.
• Coordination, if you use a service to arrange sessions and plan the trip.

Ask for every cost in writing before you commit, so you can see the full picture.

The coordination checklist

About six months before travel

• Tell your nephrologist you are planning Umrah and ask whether you are fit to travel.

At least six to eight weeks before

• Choose your dates around your dialysis schedule.
• Ask your nephrologist for the dialysis prescription, medical report, recent blood tests and medicine list.
• Contact dialysis centres in Makkah and Madinah, or a coordinator, and request sessions for your dates.

Before you pay for flights

• Get every session confirmed in writing: centre, address, dates, times and price.
• Choose a hotel near both the Haram and the centre, and plan transport to each session.

Before you travel

• Meningococcal vaccination at least 10 days before arrival, and COVID-19 proof.
• Travel insurance that declares your condition.
• Airline wheelchair assistance and, if needed, the airline's medical form.
• Medicines for the whole trip plus extra days, in hand luggage, with a letter. Our packing checklist and Saudi medication rules explains what is allowed.

During the trip

• Keep every session. Plan the rites around them.
• Follow your kidney team's advice on fluids and diet.
• Know who to call if a session is moved or you feel unwell. In an emergency in the Makkah or Madinah regions, call 911.

Our Medical Desk coordinates dialysis sessions in Makkah and Madinah, plans hotels around treatment, and keeps your family informed, with every medical decision referred to your own doctor.