Heat Wave Hits, France Distributes 1,000 Air Conditioners to Hospitals in Paris

ILLUSTRATION/© Adobe Stock/Michele Ursi

JAKARTA - Around 1,000 air conditioners (air conditioners/AC) will be distributed to hospitals in the Paris region by the end of this week as part of France's preparations for the next heat wave.

The move comes after the French government announced it had ordered 30,000 air conditioners for hospitals across the country to improve its readiness for future heat waves.

While waiting for distribution from the government, a number of hospitals in the Paris area have already independently purchased additional air conditioners.

"I think it is very important and really necessary to face the second heat wave, especially if it happens in close proximity," the head of the Department of Hematology at Saint-Louis Hospital, Emmanuel Raffoux, told BFM TV, reported by ANTARA from Anadolu, Friday, July 3.

"Our bodies have been under stress and are trying to recover. Meanwhile, patients treated here are likely to face a second heat wave during the same period of treatment," he said.

During last week's heatwave, temperatures in some hospital wards reached 32 degrees Celsius. This condition prompted public hospitals in Paris to rush to make additional AC purchases.

The Paris Public Hospital Network (AP-HP) stated that it had installed and purchased 800 air conditioning units since the end of summer 2025 to mid-2026. In addition, the institution also managed to obtain an additional 1,000 air conditioning units in less than a week.

AP-HP hopes that the government can replace the procurement costs after the implementation of the national program to procure 30,000 air conditioners for hospitals throughout France.

France in recent days has experienced very high air temperatures. In many areas, temperatures have been recorded above 35 degrees Celsius, which has increased the need for air conditioning equipment.