Official vows high-quality medical support for Winter Olympics

Special: 2022 Winter Olympics

Medical support is ready for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, a Beijing official said on Thursday, vowing that the city will provide high-quality and efficient medical treatment for athletes.

Li Ang, deputy director and spokesman of the Beijing Municipal Health Commission, said at a news conference in Beijing that the city has optimally allocated medical resources for the venues of the Games.

The competition zones in Beijing and its Yanqing district have set up 88 medical stations for on-site medical treatment and triage of the sick and injured and have 1,140 medical staff members assigned from 17 designated hospitals and two emergency agencies. Another 120 medical personnel from 12 of the city's top hospitals form a backup team equipped with 74 ambulances.

Medical personnel in disciplines including orthopedics and oral medicine have been specially assigned in accordance with the characteristics of each sports venue. Additional equipment such as computed tomography and dental chairs have been provided at the hockey venue, he said.

Each venue and designated hospital has developed a medical plan, and many hospitals, including Beijing Anzhen Hospital and Peking University Third Hospital's Yanqing Hospital, have transformed part of their wards into a special treatment zone for the Games.

Li also said that all medical equipment of the polyclinics at the Beijing Olympic Village and Yanqing Olympic Village has been checked and can ensure outpatient, emergency, rehabilitation and transfer during the Games, which will open on Feb 4. A polyclinic is larger than a usual clinic but smaller than a hospital.

He added that the blood supply will be adequate and medical staff have received training in Olympics knowledge, the English language and skiing skills, with 40 ski doctors at the international rescue level and 1,900 medics with basic first-aid skills.

The second edition of the Beijing 2022 Playbook has been published, outlining COVID-19 countermeasures for the Games, including vaccinations, customs entry requirements, flight booking, testing, the closed-loop system and transportation.

The first port of entry into China must be Beijing Capital International Airport, according to the guide. Huang Chun, deputy director of the epidemic control office of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, said this requirement was made because the airport has accumulated rich experience in preventing and controlling COVID-19.

People involved in the Games will be transported in special vehicles and brought into a closed loop from the time they enter the airport to when they leave the country, meaning they will not cross paths with any members of the public, he said.

The airport is also closer to the three competition zones, compared with Beijing Daxing International Airport, and traffic will be smoother. "It can ensure a good experience for people coming to China from abroad in the transportation process," he added.