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Europe
French Hospitals Not Ready for Heatwave
2004-07-29
It's a quagmire!
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

#16  Re #12: I remember it well! Was a joy to watch as the Chicago political machine operated quite smoothly...
Posted by: borgboy   2004-07-29 10:58:37 PM  

#15  A nation that abandons its elders for weeks at a time so they get a vacation at the breezy sea or the cool mountains while Grandma slowly bakes to death is a nation which should have no word for "love".

It doesn't. 'Amour' means 'sex partner on the side'.
Posted by: Pappy   2004-07-29 10:39:33 PM  

#14  Dreadnought-Me, too. Humor combined with cutting truth-what will the French ever do with that combination?

A nation that abandons its elders for weeks at a time so they get a vacation at the breezy sea or the cool mountains while Grandma slowly bakes to death is a nation which should have no word for "love".
Posted by: jules 2   2004-07-29 8:27:45 PM  

#13  Jules,

Sadly I was only half-joking.
Posted by: Dreadnought   2004-07-29 7:59:05 PM  

#12  The difference between America and France is so obvious. A major heat wave hit Chicago a few years back. The ward bosses were out in droves knocking on doors, distributing fans, and promising to make sure any increase in the old folk's electric bill would be worked out. Them's votes. No matter how much you may dislike machine politics, at least well run ones do make sure its not just the dead that vote.
Posted by: Don   2004-07-29 5:54:27 PM  

#11  #10-A little too close to the truth-this cost saving measure is being implemented all over by the "international community"-don't do anything but talk until people are dead-Bosnia, Rwanda, Darfur...then moan about how nothing was done.
Posted by: jules 187   2004-07-29 5:50:40 PM  

#10  Well, at least we know how the French are planning to solve their pension problem.
Posted by: dreadnought   2004-07-29 4:44:12 PM  

#9  I should NOT have used the word" factoid" in my #4 post, perhaps implying I was not being serious and stating "fact," #7. It is a fact that Jacques Chirac enjoyed an un-interrupted vacation in Quebec with Comrade Chretien, all the while that 10,000 French citizens were dropping like flies in Paris not only because of the heat but because of the excessive demands placed on France's socialized medical system and lack of proper communication[ie. leadership] to deal with the crisis. Keep in mind that the official French report blamed among other things "key staff being away on holiday." I don't doubt that Chirac was one of the key officials the report alluded to.

Posted by: rex   2004-07-29 4:34:23 PM  

#8  Global warming was Bush's fault last sumer, why not this?
Posted by: Mr. Davis   2004-07-29 4:23:58 PM  

#7  rex & the rest of you, too, too funny! ROFL!

Sarge, don't forget that given his close relationship with the Almighty (which the Left hates also), they'd blame Bush for letting it get so hot in the first place!
Posted by: GreatestJeneration   2004-07-29 4:20:31 PM  

#6  Gee, her anatomy
looks like ninety-three.

We're having a heat wave,
A tropical heat wave,
The way that she moved
The thermometer proves
That she certainly dead as she can can be
Posted by: Shipman   2004-07-29 4:08:29 PM  

#5  Hot enough for ya...MONSIEUR!
Posted by: tu3031   2004-07-29 3:22:02 PM  

#4  Oh please can we have a healthcare system like that?
The Kerry/Edwards ticket promises that very thing for Americans...universal mediocre healthcare...it must be good, it's "free" isn't it?

An official report blamed the heat-related deaths on poor organization, a lack of communication and key staff being away on holiday.
Perhaps many of you don't realize this nasty factoid, but Jacques Chirac was vacationing in Quebec, courtesy of Cdn. "workies", the whole time the healthcare crisis occured in France last summer. "No worries," said Jacques to Jean, "I'll just turn off my cell phone. We can still go fishing with no interruption. My it's nice and cool here in Quebec."
Posted by: rex   2004-07-29 3:02:14 PM  

#3  I bet that bastard Kofi has been dipping his mitts into the "Oil for Air Conditioners" fund again.
Posted by: Dar   2004-07-29 2:44:10 PM  

#2  without breaking a sweat.

You have a vicious sense of humor, Sarge.
Posted by: BH   2004-07-29 2:42:29 PM  

#1  Can you imagine if 15k Americans died in one summer (for any reason)? The press would crucify Bush (and rightly so). The Democrats would win and outright majority in both houses without breaking a sweat. But in France they re-elect them with a strong majority! Oh please can we have a healthcare system like that?
Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter)   2004-07-29 2:35:39 PM  

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