"We carry out an average of ten to fifteen interventions per day", recognizes Maxime Blondel.
At 37, this emergency nurse is part of the medical team of “Beijing Express”, of which M 6 is broadcasting a new number this Tuesday evening at 9:05 pm.
But for the professional present since 2018, the adventure begins each time a few weeks before that of the candidates.
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"I'm leaving for a month on the course that the candidates will take," explains the nurse.
And on the road, I report on the hospitals, dispensaries and pharmacies on which we can rely but also the recommended vaccines.
Besides that, the specialist is also preparing his own arsenal.
“I have 70 kg of equipment.
I take splints, bandages, bandages, medicines… We are a mini-ambulance, he admits.
Sometimes we are relatively far from a hospital so we need to be able to provide first aid quickly and efficiently.
"
300 interventions per season on average
Because on "Beijing Express", white coats are in great demand.
“Over the last four seasons, we have each performed 300 interventions on average,” says Maxime Blondel.
All the teams - up to 120 people at the start of the race - can thus join the medics at the slightest injury.
"Most of the time, it's for tourists, headaches, sunstroke, painful periods, sleeping problems or bed fleas", comments the one who systematically reminds everyone to be careful what they consume and protect themselves effectively from the sun.
But if they are essential, caregivers should if possible not interfere in the adventure.
“We try as much as possible to intervene during a race stoppage,” affirms Maxime Blondel.
However, if it is urgent, a doctor will be dispatched to arrive as quickly as possible.
But when a candidate has a simple blister, we are not going to interrupt everything to put a bandage on him.
We will wait to be able to see it before a test, for example.
"
Sometimes, the care can be more important and directly impact the game, like last week in the car accident in which Aurore and Jonathan were victims and which forced them to leave the show.
“We have the responsibility to pronounce a medical abandonment when necessary, he says.
When I announce something to the producer, it is never called into question.
The priority remains health and safety.
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