The Tokyo metropolitan government and other organizations are considering a "remote first aid" system for spectators and volunteers at the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, sources said.
Under the system, the condition of those who suddenly become ill will be relayed by video and other means from first-aid stations to doctors, who will then instruct nurses at the stations to give the patients first aid or send them to the hospital for further treatment.
The system is aimed at reducing the burden on medical services by having one doctor take care of more than one first-aid station.
According to the Tokyo metropolitan government and other organizations, first-aid stations will be set up along the roads connecting 24 Olympic venues in Tokyo with their nearest train stations to deal with heatstroke and accidents among spectators and volunteers.
Before the event was postponed, it was planned for about 1,000 doctors to be present at the first-aid stations.
But it is now necessary to reduce the burden on medical services in Japan in light of the need to treat COVID-19 patients and administer vaccinations against the novel coronavirus. Taking into account the spread of online medical services amid the pandemic, the metropolitan government is considering allowing doctors in remote locations to check the condition of patients at first-aid stations by using the video chat functions of smartphones and tablets.
Games staff will be instructed to send emergency patients to hospital, for example, when thorough medical examination or further treatment is necessary. It is also expected that nurses will provide first aid to patients at the first-aid stations.
The Tokyo metropolitan government has begun discussions on the matter with the Tokyo Medical Association and other organizations.
The Games' organizing committee, which is in charge of first-aid stations at stadiums and athletic fields, also plans to utilize remote medical services.
"The system will help greatly reduce the number of doctors who need to be on duty for the Games," a Games official said.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
