Rashid Vezirov: “Medical personnel is fully prepared to the 2016 GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE”

Formula 1 has the unofficial status of the safest championship in world motor sport. This has been made possible both by the increased level of driver and track safety and by keeping to a minimum the consequences of an accident. Medical personnel play an important role here.

Dr Rashid Vezirov, Deputy Head of the Baku City Circuit Operating Company’s Medical Service, talks to us here about the medics’ preparations to host the first Formula 1 Grand Prix in Azerbaijan’s history:

This summer Baku will host its first ever Formula 1 World Championship race. Can you tell us how the medical services will be organized and prepared during the race?

Organizing the medical services is one of the most important aspects of preparations when hosting a Formula 1 race. Taking into account the requirements set by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the potential risks associated with this type of sport, the BCC medical department has taken a meticulous and responsible approach to its preparations for this long-awaited event.

Despite the country’s previous experience in preparing and providing a medical service for major events, including sports events, the FIA has its specific requirements, which have to be met rigorously. In order to organize our service in line with international standards and as part of our cooperation with the Bahrain Motor Federation, we have involved the medical team from Bahrain, which has already been doing a good job in their own country for 12 consecutive years. Dr Amjad Obeid is the head of the team and has been doing the same job for us in Baku throughout the first year of Formula 1 preparations. His many years of experience coupled with the professionalism of our medical personnel have allowed us to plan and organize the work of all the teams in good time. 

Overall, it is our job to provide qualified assistance to two main groups: 

1. Directly to the drivers and their technical personnel.
2. Spectators.

In order to provide medical assistance to the drivers, 12 ambulances, four medical intervention vehicles (MIV) with emergency doctor teams, three vehicles with certified specialists in extricating drivers from their cars, and 11 pedestrian teams of emergency doctors and paramedics will be located along the length of the 6-km track.
In addition, a purpose built medical centre was recently put into operation. We have designed it to provide emergency treatment, radiological investigations (ultrasound scans, X-rays), and provide non-emergency medical assistance and much more besides.

As I’ve already mentioned, our team of local specialists will be supplemented for the duration of the races by medical personnel from Bahrain, who will share their many years of experience of this type of event.

Should the need arise, patients will be taken to the Central Oil Workers’ Hospital, which has all the facilities to treat and care for them. It should be pointed out that a special department for patients with varying degrees of burns has been built and equipped at the intensive care unit in the Oil Workers’ Hospital, with the support of the Ministry of Health; four specialists have been sent on month-long courses to the Burns Centre in one of Ankara’s main clinics and twenty colleagues have received training in ACLS/BLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support/Basic Life Support).

You already have the experience of organizing the medical service at the First European Games in 2015. Comparing the two sporting events, what is distinctive about your current mission? What special requirements does the FIA have with regards to the medical services at a Formula 1 Grand Prix?

The experience gained during the First European Games was truly invaluable. It allows us now to make realistic assessments of potential risks today, to plan the effective allocation of resources and, what I think is most important, it gave us a large number of motivated specialists who want to plunge into the world of sport again and make their contribution to the hosting of major sporting events that are so important for us.

As for differences and particularities, as I’ve already said, every type of sport has its own specifics. In line with FIA requirements, the medical teams that are on the track itself have to wear a special uniform and have special equipment. Believe me, it’s no easy job to stand in the burning June sun with the heavy emergency kit on your back and thick rubber gloves on your hands!

The narrow, 7.6 metre wide, section on Aziz Aliyev Street is the most unique aspect of Baku city Circuit, its visiting card. Many people have simultaneously expressed surprise and concern when they saw this section along the Icheri Sheher city wall for the first time. Should an incident occur on this section, how will emergency medical care be organized? Will a helicopter be used?

I wouldn’t single out that section in particular. The medical service, like all others in fact, takes very seriously the question of ensuring the safety of the drivers throughout the length of the track. Not even experienced specialists can predict where a crash might take place. As for a helicopter, there’s no need for one, as it won’t take longer than five minutes for an ambulance to get from the medical centre to the Oil Workers’ Hospital. 

You’ve talked about medical provision for the drivers. What about medical assistance for spectators, should the need arise?

We have planned medical points and ambulances near every grandstand in order to provide medical assistance to spectators. We have already involved around one hundred senior students from the Azerbaijan Medical University to give first aid to spectators.

What role will the students play here? Will they be involved as volunteers for the duration of the competition and has any special training been held for them? 

The experience of holding the First European Games showed that the role of students in providing first aid cannot be overestimated. We were pleasantly surprised at the enthusiasm and dedication of the Medical University students in working towards a common goal, specifically in protecting the health of our city’s residents and visitors.
As for training, you’re absolutely right. As we did last time, we have trained more than one hundred students and the same number of senior and mid-level medical personnel at the Republican Medical Diagnostic Centre’s training base. 

How many medical personnel altogether will be involved in caring for participants in the Baku round of the Formula 1 World Championship? How were they chosen and will they undergo special preparation ahead of the race?

In all, more than two hundred medical personnel are involved. A lot of people wanted to take part in the event and our specialists organized interviews for all the candidates. Medical staff recommended by the Ministry of Health were also recruited. As a result, we have a very close-knit team, ready to make their contribution to the first Formula 1 round in Azerbaijan. 

I would also like to note that with the help of the Bahrain team the first seminar on Medicine in Motor Sport, which included both theory and practical training, was held from 28 to 30 May in Baku. I think the seminar prompted immense interest among our colleagues, as they learnt a great deal about the world of motor sport, about the nature of potential injuries and the specifics of providing medical care in unfamiliar conditions.

Is there anything you would like to add?

In conclusion, I would especially like to stress the enormous support of the Ministry of Health, which undertook almost entirely the provision of medical equipment and medicines and played an irreplaceable role in involving highly qualified specialists and in the strategic planning of the medical service. 

Past experience shows that the result depends directly on team spirit and the attitude and responsibility with which people approach their tasks. In turn, this allows us to think that everything will be performed at the highest level, since I have absolute confidence in “our team”!