Medical facilities inspected ahead of Bahrain GP

Manama: Health Ministry Undersecretary Dr Aisha Buanq yesterday paid an inspection visit to the medical team at Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) ahead of the upcoming Formula 1 race.

She was received by Marshals Club Bahrain President and Course Clerk Fayez Ramzy Fayez, Emergency Medicine Chairman Dr Osama Awad and other members of the medical team affiliated with the Health Ministry.

She also visited 10 clinics that will cater to the visitors of the track, as well as the rescue team and ambulance cars allocated for the track.

The Undersecretary then visited the Control Room in the BIC tower and met BIC CEO Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa. She expressed her admiration for the preparations and facilities provided to the medical team before the important event at BIC.

Emergency Medicine Chairman Dr Osama Awad said the medical team is compromised into a number of different areas of specialisations including doctors and paramedics. He also confirmed that the medical team is working to provide services for transferring patients at the track with the help of the Bahrain Defence Force and the Royal Bahraini Air Force.

He pointed out that all necessary arrangements were carried out with the Salmaniya Medical Complex to attend to emergencies and accidents.

He also stressed the hospital would work to provide all medical services without affecting services provided to patients in the SMC.

The medical team consists of 200 participants with five major clinics to the public and five other mini clinics in vending areas. The doctors are divided into five teams of paramedics, emergency interventions, transferring patients, military guards and nurses. 

He added that they are from different specialities like general surgery, vascular surgery, orthopaedics, plastic surgery for burns, heart specialist, pharmacists, and anaesthetists.

Over the past four months, the medical team was trained in workshops in preparation for the Formula 1 event.

Their training involved extracting patients from the accident site going over the rules to be followed at the racetrack.

About 200 people participated in the training workshop sponsored by Health Minister Faeqa bint Saeed Al Saleh.

The medical team is specialised in extracting patients from the site and transporting them to SMC or BDF by land or air.

The patients will be evaluated by the International Federation on how to conduct this safe and quick procedure on March 31 before the Formula 1 event.