A bilingual sign for Olympic injection room in the international medical department of China-Japan Friendship Hospital is seen in this picture June 25, 2008. [chinadaily.com.cn] |
Dr Peng Mingqiang is deputy-director of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital, the only medical institution designated to receive athletes, coaches and sports experts during the Olympic Games and medical supplier in the National Stadium, or Bird’s Nest. Dr Peng also leads the Olympic medical group of the China-Japan Friendship Hospital. He talks to Guan Xiaomeng of chinadaily.com.cn about how his staff has been preparing for medical services during the Games.
Chinadaily.com.cn: As the only designated hospital to look after athletes, what are the competitive advantages of your hospital, except for that you are the closest hospital to the Bird’s Nest?
Dr Peng: Actually, we played a role in Beijing’s successful bid for the Games in 2001. We were the only hospital the International Olympic Committee (IOC) members visited when they inspected service institutes before they voted for Beijing that year. We got full marks. During seven years since then, we have been improving our work in every aspect to meet the needs of the Olympics.
Do you have any experience in looking after VIP patients since you are going to serve an international sporting event?
We are one of the internationalized hospitals and the first to have international wards in Beijing. Patients from more than 100 countries have come to us. We have made friends with a lot of foreign ambassadors and embassy staff who used to be our patients.
Tell us something about the Olympic medical team.
The city has a total of 23 designated hospitals and a first aid center. In addition, hospitals near venues but are not officially designated for the Games, are also responsible for looking after patients.
In our hospital, we have a 170-member team for the Games. They are professionally competent and have a good command of English. The over 80 staff working in the Bird’s Nest were selected by BOCOG after passing oral English tests. Also, we have English major staff who will help with language issues in the clinic and will get some volunteers who specialize in rare foreign languages.
What did you have to do to improve the medical facilities to meet the needs of the Olympics?
The international medical department I mentioned just now will serve as the clinic and wards for the athletes. It has been enlarged into a three-storied building wing with more than 90 wards of Chinese, Western and Japanese styles. In some wards, there are extended beds for tall athletes like Yao Ming and beds with leg hoists over them for those with fractures. The international zone will be separated from the daily clinic and highly guarded so VIP patients will enjoy their privacy.
We have equipped the international zone with special medical equipment, bilingual signs, barrier-free facilities and first aid passageways.
