Heat wave in Germany: Hospitals urgently demand heat protection!

Heat wave in Germany: Hospitals urgently demand heat protection!

The heat wave in Germany is in full swing and is currently causing problems for people in Cologne and the surrounding area. With temperatures over 30 degrees, the fresh breeze that was so dear to us in the past is lost. Today, August 13, 2025, we can expect peak temperatures of up to 37 degrees; On Thursday even up to 38 degrees are expected. While the coastal regions will feel a little relief, the rest of the country will have to hold on!

The German Weather Service has already warned of the severe heat pollution that will also reach northern Germany and the east. The situation is particularly critical for seniors, the sick and all those who have to do without air conditioning at work. The heat wave is not expected to have reached its peak yet as the extreme temperatures do not appear to be abating, even during the night. These weather conditions can pose serious health risks, as Radio Ennepe-Ruhr reports.

Heat protection in healthcare

The current situation has alarmed the healthcare industry. Associations such as the German Hospital Association (DKG) are urgently calling for more funding for heat protection measures in the health sector. DKG deputy head Henriette Neumeyer emphasizes that many clinics are not equipped with air conditioning or cooling systems due to insufficient funding. This is a real burden for both patients and employees. [RND].

What is worrying is that heat protection in many hospitals and nursing homes does not meet safety standards. Eugen Brysch, board member of the German Patient Protection Foundation, warns of the dangers for over 300,000 hospital patients and 800,000 nursing home residents. He demands binding investment commitments from politicians for the retrofitting of appropriate facilities.

With a strategy against the heat

What are municipalities doing to be better prepared for the heat waves? In Germany, the states and municipalities are responsible for heat measures and suitable action plans. The aim of these heat action plans is to protect the population as best as possible from heat damage and to prepare for heat-related challenges. The recommendations, which were drawn up in collaboration with the WHO, include measures such as new urban design and construction concepts, more urban greenery, short-term shading measures and special procedures in health and care facilities.

More and more cities and municipalities are already implementing these measures or planning their own heat action strategies. A creative interaction between urban planning and health protection is required here, says Marc Elxnat from the German Association of Cities and Municipalities. In order to meet these ambitious goals, low-bureaucracy infrastructure programs that are adequately tailored to local needs are also needed.

So we shouldn't take the current heat wave lightly. Instead, it is time to feel the breath of nature while ensuring that both people and infrastructure are better prepared for the warm season in the future.