French emergency services face heavy strain as repeated heatwaves trigger patient influxes while summer staffing drops, Saclay hospital official Nicolas Gonzales said on LCI. Hospitals across France are preparing for another rise in temperatures during the week of August 10 after dealing with successive heat episodes since the start of summer.
Gonzales, who heads the emergency department at Saclay hospital in Essonne, said healthcare workers have had no respite. He noted that high patient volumes are creating constant pressure even in major sectors such as Paris-Ile-de-France and Saclay, where reduced vacation staffing has cut overall capacity.
Capacity limits and hospital beds
The overcrowding stems from both increased heatwave admissions and summer bed closures, according to Gonzales. He called on hospital administrations to reopen hospital beds as soon as patient surges occur, noting that patients needing admission are facing abnormally long stays inside emergency units.
Separately, the French health minister announced on LCI that 33,000 mobile air conditioners have been delivered to hospitals and nursing homes to help manage the heat.
