France's health minister predicts heat toll will rise

[Nottingham]

France's health minister predicts heat toll will rise

Associated Press

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/redir.php?jid=e1329e0502b9140f



Paris — France's health minister said in an interview to be published Sunday that people have not stopped dying from the August heat wave that seared France and he predicted the death toll will climb toward 12,000.

But Jean-Francois Mattei resisted calls for his resignation because of what critics say was a slow response to the crisis by the center-right government.

"I have nothing to hide," Mr. Mattei said in an interview with the Sunday paper Le Journal du Dimanche made available Saturday evening.

But Mr. Mattei refused to respond to direct criticism while investigations are in progress.

On Friday, Mr. Mattei announced a provisional death toll of 11,435.

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What is so sad is nobody claimed the bodies of the aged! So Sad!

[Maple]

1. I read somewhere

that only 400 of the bodies were unclaimed.

Since many people are away in August in France, they might not know.

Or the elderly may simply have no family left to claim them.

[Nottingham]

2. This is so sad that there is No One to claim them!

France needs to look at the situation of their elderly!

[Maple]

3. Where is it

any different?

[Nottingham]

4. I think Germany has a better system!

But your right! The Elderly always get left behind!

[Scurrilous]

6. The unclaimed dead.

We have plenty of unclaimed dead here in the US.

http://170.164.50.2/coroner/IndigentList.asp

http://www.doenetwork.org/

[pippin]

7. Scandinavia

Scandinavia where socialism (gasp!) and higher taxes support all round care for the elderly.

[laconicsax]

5. NPR was reporting that

the French government is considering dropping one of their 11 national holidays to add one work day a year to increase tax revenue so they can improve health care for the elderly. I think the figure given was around $20 billion, but that sounds a little high for one work day.