France activates highest heatwave health emergency level

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has activated the ORSAN health emergency plan at its highest level as the heatwave intensifies, increasing pressure on hospitals. The move allows for boosted staffing, reinforced coordination, and targeted postponement of non‑urgent procedures.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Thursday announced the activation of the ORSAN health emergency plan at level 3, the highest threshold for such mobilisation. “The heat wave is not easing in our country, and pressure on our healthcare system continues to intensify. That is why … I have decided to activate the ORSAN plan at level 3, the highest level of healthcare mobilisation,” Lecornu said on X.
Measures and objectives
The decision allows for strengthening hospital staffing, reinforcing coordination between hospitals, community medicine, and clinics, and adjusting hospital activities — including targeted postponement of non‑urgent procedures where necessary — to ensure care for heat‑related illnesses. “Our objective remains the same as on day one: to ensure the healthcare system can withstand the strain over time and to protect the most vulnerable. The State is, and will remain, fully mobilised,” Lecornu added. Level 2 of the plan had been activated on Tuesday.
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