The woman in charge of the United States’ meteorological research station on the South Pole has been denied a medical evacuation after suffering a stroke in late August. The hosts some 50 researchers, including at least one doctor who has recommended that Douceur be removed for further treatment. But the National Science Foundation and Raytheon, which jointly manage the base, have decided that her condition does not warrant immediate treatment. The reasearch center is hours by flight from McMurdo Station, which is itself hours from the nearest medical facility in New Zealand. Temperatures at the base are around minus 60, and its airstrip cannot be easily cleared of snow during winter.
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