Medical staff, equipment ready for papal crowds

Two hospital-style emergency care tents, 75 medical care stations, 92 ambulances and hundreds of health care providers will line the streets during Pope Francis' visit to Juárez later this month.

Feb 05, 2016

JUAREZ, MEXICO: Two hospital-style emergency care tents, 75 medical care stations, 92 ambulances and hundreds of health care providers will line the streets during Pope Francis' visit to Juárez later this month.

Chihuahua state and Juarez health officials this week said they will be prepared for any medical emergency or incident that the pontiff, his staff or the thousands of people who will come out to see the pope might face. More than 520 doctors, nurses and other health professionals will be on hand, officials said.

All of the city's hospitals will be open the day of the pope's visit, and three in particular will be on alert to receive pilgrims with more serious medical emergencies.

But Chihuahua state Health Services Secretary Pedro Hernández said the fully staffed and equipped inflatable hospital tents "will serve as support of the medical care stations that we will have along the route."

Two tents with about 20 beds each will be set up to manage emergencies that might require minor surgeries, deliveries and other procedures, Hernández said.

The 75 medical care stations will treat people for minor emergencies that are not considered life-threatening, such as dehydration or fatigue, he said.

Hernández said each of the 75 stations will be staffed with a doctor, nurse, a paramedic and an ambulance. Twenty-five of the posts will be along the pope's route, with five of them specifically designed to assist the pope and his group if needed. Another 50 stations will be at the papal Mass site.

Ninety-two ambulances, including an air ambulance provided by the state of Mexico, will be ready to respond in case of any emergency, officials said.

Hernández said Chihuahua has the most advanced plan to handle medical emergencies than other states Francis will visit during his trip to Mexico. The pope has pastoral visits scheduled in Mexico City; San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas; Ecatepec, Mexico state; Morelia, Michoacán; and Juárez, which will be his last stop before returning to the Vatican.

The head of the Juárez Health Department, Hugo Staines, added that there will be at least five shelters available for pilgrims who do not have a place to stay the night before the papal Mass. He said the city will open community centers near the papal Mass that will serve as an intermediary point to emergency rooms.

Health officials said they are reinforcing their health strategies to protect against the Zika virus, which is spread through infected mosquitoes much like Dengue or the West Nile virus.

Hernández said authorities will intensify efforts to spray mosquito fogger around the Chamizal and other neighborhoods near the papal Mass and papal route three days before the pontiff's arrival to Juárez.

"We are concerned about an outbreak of the virus, especially among pregnant women," he said.

Health authorities said they are concerned because of a link between the Zika virus and an increase in birth defects in Brazil and Colombia.

Hernández said that Chihuahua has no reported cases of the Zika virus.

However, there are 34 confirmed cases of the virus across Mexico in the states of Chiapas, Nuevo León, Sinaloa and Jalisco. Mexico ranks third in the number of Zika cases across the world, with Colombia and Brazil reporting the most cases.--Elpasotimes

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