“A week after the start of the events, we are very satisfied with the efficiency and robustness of the system deployed to support” the athletes and the public, declared Frédéric Valletoux.
The health system remains under little strain for the moment due to the Paris Olympic Games, according to indications given Thursday by several health officials. “A week after the start of the tests, we are very satisfied with the efficiency and robustness of the system deployed to support” athletes and the public, declared Frédéric Valletoux, resigning Minister Delegate for Health.
Until now, “We had about 4,000 cases of all types of care (…). This mainly concerns the Olympic Village clinic, but also the care of spectators who had heatstroke or hurt their ankles…”he told the press, on the sidelines of a visit to the small mobile hospital installed on the Champs-Élysées. The Paris Samu, for its part, is on a “activity plateau higher by 20 to 30%” to a normal summer, “with a lot of discomfort but no serious discomfort”said the head of the Paris Samu, Professor Frédéric Adnet.
Despite the intense heat recorded at the Parisian Olympic sites in recent days, “We have not had any serious heat strokes” with a mortal risk, according to him. At the Assistance publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), the Parisian hospital heavyweight, “We are seeing activity consistent with summer activity” usual, “a little above for some days, a little below for other days”reported its general manager, Nicolas Revel. The 370 additional beds put into service by the AP-HP for the Olympic period make it possible to streamline the flow of patients through the emergency services, with a small number of patients forced to stay overnight in the emergency room due to a lack of beds in other downstream services, he explained. “We are between zero and ten” nightly, “It’s almost a dream situation for emergency workers”added Nicolas Revel.
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Statistics published Wednesday by Public Health France confirm the diagnosis of limited overactivity linked to the Olympic Games compared to a normal summer. Since the start of the Olympic Games, the Samu support in the five French regions concerned has involved “young patients, of low severity, most of whom do not require transport to a health facility”detailed the public body. In total, “141 patients were treated over the past week” by the Samu of the five regions for events linked to the start of the Olympic Games and the opening ceremony, all “of low severity”.
