European hospitals are taking steps to prepare for the next heat wave, after a recent record-smashing heat wave led to a surge in heat-related emergencies. The Paris-Saclay Hospital in France, for example, has ordered its own ice machine to help cool patients in the emergency department.

Hospitals Learn from Recent Experience

The recent heat wave, which affected several countries including France and the UK, highlighted the need for hospitals to be better equipped to handle heat-related emergencies. At the Paris-Saclay Hospital, staff had to rely on ice from a fast-food restaurant and a supermarket to cool patients, as the hospital did not have an ice-making machine.

The hospital’s director, Cédric Lussiez, said that the hospital was not adequately prepared for the heat wave, but has since learned valuable lessons. “We thought we were ready. We were not actually,” he said. The hospital is now taking steps to upgrade its heat defenses, including purchasing air-conditioning units and renovating its facilities.

National Efforts to Prepare for Heat Waves

The French government has also announced plans to spend 100 million euros on cooling systems for hospitals and other health facilities, in an effort to prepare for future heat waves. The World Health Organization has warned that heat waves are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change, and that hospitals need to be better equipped to handle the resulting health emergencies.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.