29.06.2026 01:20
As extreme heatwaves in Europe lead to loss of life, a Turkish doctor working in Germany explained that even in one of the world's most advanced healthcare systems, there is no air conditioning in intensive care units and patient rooms, which worsens the condition of critically ill patients.
While the highest air temperatures in recent years are being recorded across Europe, many countries, especially Germany and France, are experiencing fatalities due to the heatwave. These extreme weather events have reopened the debate on the fact that the use of air conditioning in homes and institutions in European countries is extremely limited and the dangers this situation creates.
WORKING WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONING AT 40 DEGREES
A Turkish doctor working in Germany has highlighted the dire situation in hospitals and the difficult working conditions. Emphasizing that Germany has one of the most advanced healthcare infrastructures in the world, the doctor stated that neither the rooms they work in nor the patient rooms have air conditioning, even on scorching days when thermometers show 40 degrees.
PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT DOUBLES THE SUFFERING
Describing how they try to work in the hospital during the heat, where breathing becomes difficult, the doctor said that the layers of protective equipment they must wear as part of their job, such as masks, gowns, and gloves, turn their work into torture in this sweltering weather.
"THE CONDITION OF CRITICAL PATIENTS WORSENS DUE TO THE HEAT"
The expatriate doctor, stating that in hospitals they have to struggle not only with medical cases but also with the extreme heat that envelops the buildings, explained that the lack of air conditioning creates life-threatening dangers with these words: "There is no air conditioning in patient rooms. It is 40 degrees outside, and I am currently in the intensive care unit. There is no air conditioning in the rooms we work in or in the patient rooms. Some of our patients, whose condition is already critical, are deteriorating much faster due to this intense heat, and their life risks are multiplying."