Health professionals call for EU heatwave strategy before crises hit

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Health professionals across Europe are calling for an EU climate and health strategy, write Mark Wilson and Dr Paul De Raeve ; plus a letter from Nadine Henderson

You report on hospitals declaring critical incidents as their systems fail in the heat ( Hospitals in England declare critical incidents as machines and IT fail in heat, 25 June ). This is a crisis that health professionals saw coming.

It is not England’s alone. During June’s record-breaking European heatwave, France raised its health system to the highest level of emergency mobilisation, while hospitals across Italy, Spain and Germany reported surging admissions and cooling systems that could not cope. Everywhere, the people caring for patients are working sleep-deprived in sweltering, un-air-conditioned wards, with consequences for both staff wellbeing and the safety of care. Across Europe, we are hearing from health professionals that conditions are becoming dangerous and systems remain unprepared.

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