International SOS announced yesterday in Beijing that it would provide medical and first aid services for the upcoming Fortune Global Forum to be held from May 16 to 18.

It will be the second time the institution has provided medical services to the forum since its inauguration in Shanghai in 1999.

John Williams, managing director of International SOS China, said this time the company's work will be far more complicated due to the three or four locations of the forum in Beijing, compared to the single venue in Shanghai.

International SOS will set up temporary medical stations at the St Regis and Peninsula Palace hotels staffed with international medical professionals.

The company will also provide round-the-clock medical care for any VIPs in attendance.

And mobile medical stations at other important venues such as the Temple of Heaven will be established to guarantee a rapid response to any emergency.

Williams said International SOS had come up with precise and quick-response mechanisms to cope with any conceivable situation.

A plane equipped with intensive care facilities will be available 24-hours a day at Beijing Capital International Airport.

All medical professionals serving the forum speak fluent English and have more than seven years of experience working with foreign colleagues in emergency rescue situations.

They are also well versed in China's medical regulations and Western culture.

In case of emergency, doctors will decide whether the patient should be treated on-the-spot, be sent to hospital or transported elsewhere for treatment.

According to He Jingbin, deputy general manager of International SOS's Beijing clinic, the company will co-operate with local hospitals and emergency centres to fulfil its task.

(China Daily May 12, 2005)