France accused of complacency as 50 die in heatwave FOREIGN Edition

Patrick Pelloux, president of the association of French accident and emergency doctors, said: "In four days, in the Paris region, there have been practically 50 deaths due to the heat. The weakest are dropping like flies." He accused the government of doing nothing. "They dare to say...

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Published inIndependent (London, England : 1986)
Main Author Alex Duval Smith in Paris
Format Newspaper Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London (UK) Independent Digital News & Media 12.08.2003
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Summary:Patrick Pelloux, president of the association of French accident and emergency doctors, said: "In four days, in the Paris region, there have been practically 50 deaths due to the heat. The weakest are dropping like flies." He accused the government of doing nothing. "They dare to say these deaths are natural. I absolutely do not agree. No statistics are being gathered. There is no general information, nothing." In Bordeaux, another doctor piled on the criticism of the French health authorities. Dr Herve Gabinski, head of accident and emergency at Saint- Andre de Bordeaux Hospital, said about 20 "very elderly" people had died over the weekend in circumstances linked to the heatwave. "We had a very difficult weekend. We had enough staff but we could not handle the influx of people," he said, adding that his hospital had put in place a special "crisis department" to handle heat-related admissions.
ISSN:0951-9467