Record temperatures hit France’s south, care workers bemoan working conditions

France is currently experiencing summer’s most intense heatwave with record temperatures recorded in the south of the country, including in hospitals where some care workers are struggling.

This heatwave is “unprecedented in its duration and intensity at this time of year”, the statement said. Monday was the hottest day recorded after 15 August in France, the same agency announced Monday.

“We need to hammer home the prevention messages”, said Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau as he visited he Valence hospital on Tuesday. “In red alert, everyone is concerned by the risk”, he added.

On Wednesday, the number of departments on red alert is set to rise from four to 19, while between 37°C and 40°C are expected “over almost the entire southern half of the country”, according to Météo-France.

Care workers complained about their working conditions during the health minister’s hospital visit. While 20% of the building is not air-conditioned, some consulting rooms are reported to be close to 30°C degrees inside.

“It’s important to see this,” said the minister. “It would have been less embarrassing not to go through it, but I think it’s essential to see what patients and carers are going through. I measure, and what is most poignant, is that the caregivers are not complaining for themselves, but for the patients,” he added.

On Monday, the Sud Santé-Sociaux union at Bordeaux’s university hospital (CHU) had already raised the alarm, posting a photo on X, formerly Twitter, of a thermometer reading 44 degrees in the paediatric ward due to faulty air-conditioning systems.

According to other healthcare unions, several other hospitals face the same issues as those in Bordeaux and Valence.

(Paul Messad, Clara Bauer-Babef | EURACTIV.fr)