Because of climate change the risk of heat is very likely to increase significantly. Continuous heat constitutes a health risk to certain vulnerable groups: the elderly, chronically ill and people with overweight, to name but a few important groups, cannot cope with heat very well. These people will suffer from health problems and their quality of life will decline sharply during hot days. A number of European countries, struck by the extreme heat wave in 2003 developed heat plans. In 2005 the Climate Centre and the Netherlands Red Cross initiated discussions with the Netherlands Ministry of Health, which led to the National Heat Plan in 2007. At the basis of the plan stands a clear division of tasks between the government, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (who issues the warning), the National Municipal Health Services (who coordinate the professional healthcare) and the Netherlands Red Cross and other voluntary organizations (who have tasks in the informal care of the most vulnerable and the education of the public). A system is created by which the relevant organizations are warned when a period of five or more days above 27 degrees is expected. At this moment (since the end of June) several measures are taken to cope with the ensuing heat. For instance the manual ‘De hitte de baas’ is circulating, providing background information and actions the Netherlands RC can undertake in trying to reach the most vulnerable people, stickers 'What to do when it gets hot' and heat fans are disseminated, etc.

Fonte: www.redcross.org