Toulouse. The heat wave also threatens emergencies
This week’s heat wave is not likely to help the situation in Purpan. The high temperatures impact the most vulnerable.
40 degrees during the week. Haute-Garonne will enter the summer season prematurely. With this rise in temperature, many accidents and discomforts are also to be expected. This does not help Purpan’s emergencies, which are currently under-regulated. “The idea is above all to do prevention. It is absolutely necessary to explain to people that they should not be exposed to this heat”, warns Professor Sandrine Charpentier, head of the emergency medicine center at the CHU. From toulouse.
A risk for the most vulnerable
According to the Ministry of Health, high temperatures can lead to serious and fatal accidents such as dehydration or heatstroke. This period of intense heat is also conducive to the aggravation of existing pathologies or to hyperthermia. And the most vulnerable are the elderly or infants.
“There are simple gestures that can be abandoned. Like getting in the shade, hydrating or not going out for a jog in the middle of the day”, continues Professor Sandrine Charpentier. With emergencies running in slow motion, the CHU can no longer afford to be overwhelmed.
In addition to this heat stroke, another concern is raised by Pauline Salingue, CGT union representative at the CHU: “Several emergency services will also close this summer. This raises a question about the organization and reception conditions of the patients”. In the middle of summer, with general practitioners on vacation, the people of Hauts-Garonne are also thinking of turning to the city’s emergency services. A new risk of congestion then threatens hospitals.