Survival blankets at the windows, portable air conditioners bought at the supermarket"Fans: Faced with the heatwave, many hospitals, outdated and without air conditioning, are reduced to..." resourcefulness"This is a real problem," lament the professionals, highlighting the delay in adapting the healthcare system to climate change. This week in our hospitals, except in the most modern ones, both patients and caregivers are sweltering in the heat; they are in agony." , Yann Le Baron, national secretary of Unsa Santé-Sociaux, told AFP.
No national survey counts the number of air-conditioned healthcare facilities, but according to unions, the majority are not – except in departments where it is essential: operating rooms, intensive care, radiology, pharmacy, IT departments – and some only partially, with significant disparities between regions and departments. Furthermore, the building stock is aging, with 601,300 units deemed obsolete by the statistical services of the social ministries (Drees).
“ There are Parisian hospitals where the corridors and patient rooms are air-conditioned, but not the paramedic treatment rooms or break rooms. In Pontoise (Val-d'Oise), I have treatment rooms where it's 34 degrees Celsius; it's unbearable." describes Mr. Le Baron." It's all about improvisation: we bring out the fans, when we can get our hands on some, we distribute misting sprays… I know some healthcare workers who went to the supermarket to buy a portable air conditioner, pooling their money." he sighs.
In the geriatrics department at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital (AP-HP), the corridors are air-conditioned, allowing for the cooling of rooms and staff, " For now, it's holding up" , assures the head of the department, Professor Jacques Boddaert, highlighting certain progress since the historic heat wave of 2003.
In the south, excess mortality was lower in 2003, because we were used to "intense heat and today, " The situation is less dire there than in our western neighbors, in Brittany and Aquitaine, who are unfortunately less well-equipped." analyzes Professor Pierre Michelet, coordinator of emergency medicine for Aix-Marseille University.
Pediatrics and emergency medical services are overwhelmed.
In emergency rooms, the lack of air conditioning is not uncommon, warned Mathias Wargon, head of the emergency department at Delafontaine Hospital (Seine-Saint-Denis), on RTL radio. Yet, during a heatstroke, " The only treatment that works is cooling down. So if you can't do that, or only with methods like ice cubes in front of a fan, it's a missed opportunity.“.
“ When you have vulnerable patients, pregnant women, babies, it's unbearable."Thomas Delomas, head of the emergency department at the Saint-Lô memorial hospital (Manche), also believes that they are not not air-conditioned " but " refreshed", with resources" Completely undersized and inefficient“.
Pediatrics is also overwhelmed, as is the emergency medical services (SAMU) dispatch center, where the temperature is 31 degrees Celsius, adds this representative from the SUDF union. He reports Several cleaning staff fell ill", describes " survival blankets "To block out the windows, a portable air conditioner in the emergency room waiting area, whose window..." remains open "for the drain pipe. The service will soon be Rebuilt but without air conditioning", he adds, because " it's too expensive " And " that heat waves have been considered exceptional » in the English Channel.
The French Hospital Federation observes " a real delay in adapting to climate change which forces a majority of establishments to crisis management“,” emphasizes his expert Rudy Chouvel. A national adaptation plan, to be published in 2025, provides for a complete inventory and of prevention plans"The Ministry of Health did not respond on Tuesday regarding its progress."
Approximately " 40% of hospitals » have been renovated since 2003 and the most recent are « either cooled or air-conditioned“,” Minister Stéphanie Rist assured on BFMTV on Tuesday. The government has promised €6 billion in investment aid by 2036, in addition to the €19 billion already allocated by the “Ségur de la Santé” (Health Summit). For new projects, it is considering add measures "Forcing us to air-condition or adapt to climate change," she said.
So far, the Ségur funds have not " were not particularly oriented “Towards that,” notes Mr. Chouvel. The French Hospital Federation (FHF) is advocating for the creation of a dedicated green fund. But the cost of a complete renovation (public and private combined) would be between 27 and 67 billion euros by 2050, according to the General Inspectorate of Social Affairs. No estimate exists for air conditioning, which would also increase electricity bills in a sector already struggling with deficits.
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