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French Hospitals Not Ready for Heatwave
French hospitals could not cope with a repeat of the heatwave which killed almost 15,000 people last summer, a prominent doctor said on Thursday. Patrick Pelloux, an emergency doctor who led attacks on the government over its handling of the 2003 heatwave, said there were not enough hospital beds or staff available. A "heatwave alert plan" unveiled by the government in May would not be enough to cope, he said. "The only thing that has incontestably changed compared to last year are prevention measures for a heatwave and the alert system," Pelloux, head of the AMUHF association of emergency doctors, told reporters. "But the problem is: Who to alert? As we are understaffed and as there have been too many closures of beds, we would not be able to cope if there was a massive influx (of patients)."
| "Therefore, we require that these patients stay home and die." |
The death toll during last year's heatwave far exceeded those of neighboring countries hit by similar temperatures. Most victims were elderly and suffered dehydration as temperatures passed 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). An official report blamed the heat-related deaths on poor organization, a lack of communication and key staff being away on holiday. The government's plan, to be active from June 1 to October 1 each year, includes a new weather and health alert service, a database of people at risk from heat-related illness and a response plan for hospitals and voluntary aid workers.
Health Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said in May a special committee had been set up to ensure emergency units received an extra $600 million set aside over five years. But Pelloux said funding was still insufficient. "If there is no real willingness to make the public hospitals more dynamic in all sectors, we will again see disasters and important bottlenecks in emergency services," Pelloux said. Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin's conservative government is trying to reform France's expensive health care system, long hailed as one of the world's best. Under the heatwave plan, a "heat risk" map updated at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. will be sent to the media, along with advice and recommendations from the Health Ministry. Douste-Blazy has also said he aims to increase overtime to ensure experienced staff are always available.
| What? They would work more than 35 hours a week? Mon dieu! |
Posted by: Steve White 2004-07-29 |
