Gipuzkoa has been under a heat dome for days, with unbearable temperatures affecting both staff and patients at the Donostia University Hospital. Inside the healthcare center, thermometers are also registering around 30 degrees Celsius.
The impact of the high temperatures has been so significant that healthcare workers themselves have organized a collection this week to purchase fans for some areas. Many patients and their families are opting to spend time outside the buildings to escape the heat.
In an internal communication, the managing director, Maite Martínez Zabaleta, acknowledged to staff that the rising temperatures "temporarily alter the environmental conditions of our centers." The letter states that "to mitigate the thermal impact, an action plan is being developed for the most critical points as soon as possible," including the purchase of several fans.
“"Everyone knows this, and it's nothing new. We've bought, among the staff, one fan per floor because we have to survive. It's not advisable to put fans in the rooms because that moves air and bacteria, but we need them for the areas where we workers are. Otherwise, it's impossible to work."
However, one nurse criticizes that "this happens every year and there should have been foresight," noting that "there are wards where we are at 33 degrees and parts of the day when the sun hits us. It's horrifying."
Management has expressed its "full consideration" for the "difficulties and discomfort" this exceptional situation may be causing staff, emphasizing "the importance of maintaining an adequate environment for the proper development of your work and to guarantee the quality of care for our patients."
In coordination with the Basic Unit for Prevention and Occupational Risks of OSI Donostialdea, the situation has been evaluated, and "centers, areas, spaces, and specific cases requiring preferential intervention have been identified." To assist healthcare professionals, "auxiliary ventilation or cooling systems in priority areas," i.e., fans, have been provided. Additionally, "adaptation of spaces and viable environmental guidelines" and "maintenance, repair, and optimization of existing equipment" have been carried out.
In the waiting rooms of the hospital's Arantzazu building, conversations revolve around the heat. Users keep water bottles nearby and use fans. "We were just commenting that it's very hot. We've only been here five minutes, but if the rooms are just as hot...", a couple was discussing.
In the center's cafeteria, Raquel Sánchez and Vania Ferreira agree that "it's very stuffy." Ferreira, who is 31 weeks pregnant and attending a check-up, adds that "it was hot in the waiting room, but even worse in the consultation room, it was more stuffy." She notes that "they have been very attentive to us, checking the thermometer and making sure we were okay."
Ana and Daniel Calzado found shade in a park near the hospital entrance. Ana explains that her relative "called me to see if I could come earlier because they wanted to get out of the room and get some air, as it's too hot inside." "First, they spent a few days in the Amara building, where there were about four fans that moved from room to room, but here – in the Aranzazu building – there aren't any," she points out.
Toñi Pedraz, sitting with her walker by the door of the Gipuzkoa building, explains that her son had surgery a few hours ago and she prefers to wait outside because "you can't be inside." "The rooms are small and there are two patients in each. If visits coincide and two family members come per patient, many people gather in the room, and it's an oven." "The heat is unbearable. I'm better off out here," she states.
