The Rio de Janeiro's Federal University Clementino Fraga hospital. Photo Courtesy: AP
Sun-Jul 19, 2009
Rio De Janerio / Agence France Presse
Brazil's crime-ridden city of Rio de Janeiro are to be bullet-proofed because of frequent gunfights involving drug gangs, the state news agency Agencia Brasil reported.
The federal hospitals, all located in risky zones, will have concrete walls built around them and steel shutters installed over the windows, some of which will also be reinforced to stop bullets.
"We are going to use all means to avoid any risk to the population," the regional director of the hospitals, Oscar Berro, said.
He added that the facilities had been built so that some buildings already protected others on the hospital grounds.
"In rooms that are most exposed, we mean to redirect services to less risky areas. If that's not possible, we are going to adopt protective measures," he said.
Berro said the decision was made five months ago, as part of a 250-million-dollar general upgrade of the hospitals. Gunplay between rival gangs and between criminals and police are common in Rio.
In a recent incident, on Thursday, a stray bullet hit a surgical center of one of the five hospitals, destroying equipment used to display X-ray slides. No-one was hurt.
The federal hospitals, all located in risky zones, will have concrete walls built around them and steel shutters installed over the windows, some of which will also be reinforced to stop bullets.
"We are going to use all means to avoid any risk to the population," the regional director of the hospitals, Oscar Berro, said.
He added that the facilities had been built so that some buildings already protected others on the hospital grounds.
"In rooms that are most exposed, we mean to redirect services to less risky areas. If that's not possible, we are going to adopt protective measures," he said.
Berro said the decision was made five months ago, as part of a 250-million-dollar general upgrade of the hospitals. Gunplay between rival gangs and between criminals and police are common in Rio.
In a recent incident, on Thursday, a stray bullet hit a surgical center of one of the five hospitals, destroying equipment used to display X-ray slides. No-one was hurt.
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