Chirac rips French for heat deaths (FRENCH TOAST ALERT)

Chicago Sun-Times ^ | August 22, 2003 | JOHN LEICESTER

[Chi-townChief]

PARIS--As many as 10,000 people may have died in France's heat wave, the government acknowledged Thursday, and a solemn President Jacques Chirac promised health system changes. But he also leveled criticism at the public, saying many elderly victims ''died alone in their homes.''

Chirac, under fire from opposition politicians and newspapers for not speaking out earlier, promised ''everything will be done'' to correct failings in the health system that was overwhelmed by victims of the heat. But his government said ministers would not resign.

While praising emergency, hospital and retirement home workers, Chirac peppered his address to the nation with criticism of a society he said needs to better care for its most vulnerable members.

''The heat wave touched the health and daily lives of the French. It caused a large number of victims,'' Chirac said after a Cabinet meeting on the crisis. ''Many fragile people died alone in their homes. These dramas again shed light on the solitude of many of our aged or handicapped citizens.''

France's longest and hottest heat wave, with temperatures that topped 104 in the first two weeks of August, probably caused about 10,000 deaths, said Hubert Falco, secretary of state for the elderly.

In a separate interview with the newspaper Le Monde, he said the crisis showed France is coping badly with aging, a problem shared by many developed nations.

Falco said ''mortality linked to the heat wave was highest'' among people over 85--who now number 1.2 million in France, and in 10 years will total 2.4 million.

But nearly 80 percent of retirement facilities are short-staffed, he said. ''Our society was not prepared,'' Falco said.

Some critics blamed families for leaving elderly relatives at home while they took August vacations. Health workers blamed understaffing and underfunding at hospitals and retirement homes.

While other European governments have not reported the huge death toll of France, signs are emerging of significant spikes in deaths in several countries.

The Central Bureau for Statistics said the heat claimed 500 to 1,000 lives in the Netherlands, and Portugal's Health Ministry estimated more than 1,300 dead.

Germany, which was not as hot and is counting its dead more slowly, has tallied just 30 heat-related deaths.

Italy's Health Ministry has refused to give figures, but calls to several major cities found marked increases in deaths compared with last year. Genoa had 693 in the first 18 days of August, compared with 475 in the whole month last year. In Turin, 732 died, more than 500 of them over 70, compared with 388 last year.

AP

[Chi-townChief]

French fries, anyone?

[Cyber Liberty]

It's a pity the French didn't invest in more of their own nuclear power plants, rather than make them for middle-Eastern dictators.

[friendly]

The 10,000+ French elderly were murdered by a corrupt socialist "health care" system.

[Seeking the truth]

I wonder if the Frogs had outlawed the use of the American word - Air Conditioning.

[Cyber Liberty]

Well, we all know they have successfully wiped out the notion of "deodorant".

[Cyber Liberty]

...which is a really, really bad companion skill with banning the words you suggest.

[winner3000]

Root cause - socialist health care system takes the profit motive right out of the system. Add the lack of the profit incentive to a heavily unionized socialist health care system which prevents disallowing most health care workers from taking a vacation at the same time, and you've got a recipe for disaster sooner or later. Is this what Hillary wanted our health care system to look like???

[=Intervention=]

Agreed. I just can't understand why the world's seventh-largest economy (or is it 8th?) can't figure out how to COOL THEIR OWN HOMES and HOSPITALS! I heard a radio report by my ABC affiliate that said that even the newest hospital doesn't have A/C for the patients...

Amazing. And the French are a first-world country how?

[Weimdog]

Not to mention their own families.

Most of the deaths were of old folks in apartments by themselves. Many of these retirees must have had families that were responsible for checking up on them and didn't.

What kind of person would let their mother or father, grandma or grandpa, suffer in the heat alone, and die a horrible death?

A French one!

[friendly]

Root cause - socialist health care system takes the profit motive right out of the system. Add the lack of the profit incentive to a heavily unionized socialist health care system which prevents disallowing most health care workers from taking a vacation at the same time, and you've got a recipe for disaster sooner or later.

Bottom line?

Democrat "health care" plans harm the most vulnerable.

Your analysis is dead on correct.

[mass55th]

Who needs terrorists? Chirac and his ilk killed more people in one season than the terrorists have killed in the last 10 years.

[TexasRepublic]

Socialism kills.

[VxH]

It's sad that the socialist/athiests don't have a an institution like the Church that the elderly could have called upon.

Altruism can not be forced by the state - it must come from within the individual.

[ChewedGum]

It's sad that the socialist/athiests don't have a an institution like the Church that the elderly could have called upon.

Interesting point. I wonder what kind of charitable / outreach organizations exist in France. (Obviously non-religious ones)

Gum

[hapy]

now now folks lets look on the bright side

The world has 10,000 less liberals to feed and listen to

[strela]

re "(FRENCH TOAST ALERT)"

Harsh. Funny, but harsh.

[Old Professer]

The normal average death rate for France is about 5,000 per month; I wonder if this 10,00 number is total deaths or deaths due to heat?

[ckilmer]

sounds like air conditioning is too expensive in france.

if fuel oil/electricity or whatever powers their air conditioners like gasline is two-three times more expensive than it is here--then likely people will use it very sparingly.

[bert]

The best way to cook a Frog is by raising the temperature graduall.

[schaketo]

Burn baby burn.