WITH THE 2010 (British) COMMONWEALTH GAMES due to start in Delhi, India on October 3, the preparations are in panic mode now because of long construction delays, the usual Asian corruption, and now an outbreak of dengue fever in the huge city. The AFP tells about it in this brief video report:
One of the many scandals that has arisen is the contract for providing ambulances and medic to staff them during the games. A contract was let to build and deliver 150 ambulances and get 400 people trained as EMT’s by the University of Utah.
The company that won the ambulance contract appears to have been sandbagged by a rival firm with influential political connections, however. After delivering half the order, 75 vehicles, the contract was suddenly canceled because of purported problems including:
- The vehicles did not have power steering;
- They had semi-elliptical leaf-type suspension (horrors!);
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The brakes and clutch were of the hydraulic type;
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The quality of fabricated cabin was very poor, in terms of aesthetics, utility and durability;
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The driver’s seat was too high;
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The air conditioner only had one blower.
In addition, they also claimed that “any patient taller than 191 cm (6 ft.) would have to fold his broken leg or injured neck to be squeezed in.” The Delhi health minister says that “everything is in place” as far as being able to handle the expected workload and he won’t need the 75 (or 150) ambulances that were originally planned.
However, with less than a month remaining, they still have not hired and trained the 200 people needed to drive the 64 ambulances that they have rounded up from other sources. The charges and counter-charges flying about are complicated and extensive. The Times of India has attempted to sort it out so you can partially understand it HERE and HERE.
Addendum: A total of 386 doctors, 262 nursing staff, 103 physiotherapists and 95 massage therapists sent by the government of Kerala will be part of the medical workforce besides 179 medical students as who will be given job of health volunteers. At the last-minute they were all informed that they will not be getting paid for their labors at the games because “they are doing a duty for the government.” Firegeezer says, their attendance habits at the games will be intersting to note.
Addendum #2: The corruption doesn’t stop there. This collection of world-class athletes will have their injuries and sicknesses treated not in a clean clinic, but in a very large tent. This is not an Indian tent, but a tent imported from Germany for several hundred thousands of dollars, not purchased but rented. NDTV reports:
Sources within the medical community, which include doctors and technicians who will be part of the medical team for the games, have told NDTV that they are extremely unhappy. The tent is made of fabric so it is difficult to keep it sterile. Also, there are no partitions if needed.
There is a permanent medical facility at the Games Village where athletes will stay, but it has been rejected after being built at substantial cost and now shall be used to store medical products and equipment. NDTV has also learnt that in the built-to-specifications clinic, the builders apparently forgot to provide for any drainage.
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