Olympic officials estimate 20,000 people will be treated during the course of the games. And if you’re not an Olympian, you’ll be sent to 361-bed Municipal Hospital Souza Aguiar, the conditions of which are “gloomy,” according to STAT. Although Souza Aguiar has created 40 new beds for the Olympic games, private rooms are not available.
In addition, a recent report from CREMERJ, a Brazilian medical council, claimed Souza Aguiar and the other hospitals designated to treat Olympic tourists are overcrowded.
But Dr. Lucia Orfão, Souza Aguiar’s vice director, said the hospital is “a little bit crowded, because the demand is high,” but it “[doesn’t] have patients in the hallway,” according to the report.
Regardless, Brazilian Health Minister Ricardo Barros believes only 700 tourists will be treated at hospitals, as most will be cared for at pop-up clinics at the games.
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