Headaches, emergency blankets at the windows... Faced with the heatwave, hospitals are overheating

The right actions to take during this period of intense heat : stay hydrated, eat well, avoid going out during the hottest hours and going to a cool or air-conditioned place for 2 to 3 hours per day.

But what can be done when this simply isn't possible? In some hospitals, there's panic: temperatures are uncontrollable in the corridors because there's simply no air conditioning.

In the corridors of the endoscopy department of this hospital in the Paris region, one can barely hear one another. Set to full power, a few slightly damaged fans blow hot air. The nursing staff, their foreheads shining, empty liters of water.

“I have a headache. I had to go outside because of the heat. We do open-door fibroscopy and colonoscopies. Normally, we shouldn't have medication above 25 degrees, and here, it was 30 degrees in the room,” says one caregiver. “We have protective rules, for example, we have to wear a gown. But we can't, it drips down our backs,” adds another.

David Treille of the SUD Santé union is concerned about staff fatigue. "In dose calculations, for example, this could increase the risk of error," he believes.

In the geriatric ward, the elderly are plunged into darkness. Emergency blankets are plastered over the windows "apparently to keep the cool," Simone's family jokes.

“The problem is that it's cooler at her house than it is here. She's already dehydrated,” says a relative. “I don't even know what the temperature is, but it's hot,” the patient sighs.

Difficulties reported to hospital management. "The situation is being closely monitored," says the Public Assistance Hospitals of Paris. "Certain measures have already been implemented, particularly in one of the two rooms without air conditioning, such as the installation of fans, lowered blinds, nighttime ventilation, adjustments to the schedule, and contacting the maintenance company for the cooling system," adds the AP-HP.