Medical services primed for high-quality care

Medical services for the Chengdu FISU World University Games have kicked into top gear to ensure athletes and people from across the world are able to access high-quality, prompt care.

Lu Huaimin, head of the sports medicine rehabilitation department at Sports Hospital affiliated to Chengdu Sport University, moved into the sporting village on July 10, and began formulating diagnosis and treatment protocols, organizing medical materials and conducting on-site training drills with colleagues.

"Participants at the Chengdu games are from different countries and will come with varied healthcare demands," he said. "Our priority is to abide by international standards while delivering tailored and professional services to athletes, staff and volunteers," he said.

The four-story medical center at the village, spanning nearly 8,400 square meters, contains 18 departments including emergency care, sports medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, as well as a telemedicine section.

Li Shiyun, the medical service manager, said that the clinic is run by 170-plus healthcare workers from 32 hospitals in Chengdu, and has been equipped with a wide array of equipment including magnetic resonance imaging, CT scanners and ultrasonic testing machines.

"The emergency department will work around the clock, and health service stations and ambulances have also been put in position near residential complexes for delegations," he said. "The center will be seamlessly connected to designated hospitals outside the compound, to facilitate the timely transfer of patients."

"Through training and drills over the past weeks, our team has grown even more coordinated and will endeavor to provide high quality medical services," Li said.

Since the opening of the village on Saturday, Lu said that the number of visitors to the sports medicine and rehabilitation department has shot up.

"We received around 30 people on July 23 and 50 on July 24. The majority were athletes looking to ease chronic pain from old injuries before the competition starts," he said. "We have also communicated with team doctors from different countries who came to learn about the kind of services available."

In addition to the medical center, there are about 300 healthcare service sites scattered around the village, competition venues, hotels and transit stations, as well as nearly 130 ambulances on standby, according to the Sichuan provincial government.

They will be staffed by more than 1,850 healthcare workers from more than 70 hospitals across the province.

Besides on-site care, severe cases will be quickly sent to designated hospitals.

Zhang Xin, head of the medical service unit at the Sichuan Province Orthopedic Hospital, said that its emergency care unit, as well as its radiology and examination facilities, have all reserved rooms, slots and beds for patients transferred from the games.

"It is estimated that 30 minutes can be saved through our expedited channels," he said during a recent interview with Sichuan Radio and Television.