France
The heatwave in Europe in 2003 hit France and its health sector hard. Close to 15 000 people died during the 16-day heatwave. The French government developed a warning system to respond quickly with life-saving actions. It aims to give public authorities three-day warning of a likely heatwave so steps can be taken under the "national heatwave plan." In parallel, a surveillance system is used in 120 health facilities to monitor the number of patients coming to emergency departments with heat-related illnesses.