Another example of the exhibition industry’s commitment to society in general has come to the fore in the Spanish capital over the past weeks, where IFEMA’s exhibition halls have been transformed into the country’s largest field hospital.
Eventprofs again have risen to a national health emergency challenge caused by the coronavirus pandemic, working in coordination of the Community of Madrid, Madrid City Council and the Armed Forces, and also with IFEMA’s suppliers to transform 85,000sqm of halls 5, 7 and 9, enabling them to house 1,300 beds and 96 ICU stations for patients infected with Covid-19. There is also the possibility to expand this to a total of 5,500 beds
Additionally, hall 14 of Feria de Madrid is housing 150 asymptomatic homeless people with the assistance of Madrid City Council and SAMUR Social.
Since the Community of Madrid and the City Council confirmed the need to use IFEMA facilities to build the largest emergency hospital in Spain, as well as to accommodate and shelter asymptomatic homeless people, all IFEMA’s logistics machinery was leveraged to adapt its facilities and make all human, professional and technical resources available for such a monumental project.
The work was also made possible thanks to the invaluable contribution of IFEMA’s suppliers, as well as other technical professionals, companies and medical and health personnel, who have worked tirelessly to raise the necessary infrastructure for the operation of an emergency hospital in just 18 hours.
The first area of the hospital became operational on 14 March, with the admission of nearly 300 patients. Work also began on two more halls, which, in less than a week, had been set up to receive more than 1,300 Covid-19 patients, sent in from hospital centres in the Community of Madrid.
In a matter of hours, 38,000sqm of linoleum flooring was installed in halls 7 and 9; 26 kilometres of sanitary copper piping for oxygen and vacuum pipes; 8 kilometres of PVC piping; 13,000 linear metres of aluminium structure; 5,000 power outlets; 600 electricity panels; 330 doors; 430 counters; 350 shelves, and 600 chairs. In addition, hall 9 now has 36 showers and 48 toilets, and hall 7 has 24 showers and 32 toilets, bolstering Feria de Madrid’s existing facilities.
As for human resources, the response has been extraordinary. Building this hospital has required the work of more than 1,000 professionals from all fields (engineers, plumbers, electricians, welders, IT, etc.), who have worked tirelessly, alongside members of the Madrid fire department and the Army (regiment of engineers and the paratrooper brigade) to have this infrastructure operational, as well as the essential technical equipment to facilitate the incorporation of the hundreds of health professionals deployed at the hospital.
In parallel, IFEMA has activated its support services for this emergency situation, adapting its Call Centre to deal with the thousands of calls that are being received from relatives of the sick, as well as from companies and anonymous individuals offering donations and services. The venue also reports an avalanche of generosity and offers, for which IFEMA has also assigned a team of professionals, creating a management unit with the aim of effectively channelling all the aid and donations that are being received to alleviate this situation.
IFEMA Video: https://youtu.be/8tjii5lrcZE
CAM Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2lTA3xGEK8&t=1s
CAM Video: https://youtu.be/b28ioI9_UZE
