Salud’s Plan for Prevention of High Temperatures During the Summer

THE Ministry of Health and Families, through the General Directorate of Public Health and Pharmaceutical Management, already has the plan underway for the prevention of high temperatures, which is activated from June 1 and will run until September 15. The programme has been presented by the Minister of Health and Families, Jesus Aguirre, and the general director of Public Health and Pharmaceutical Management, José María de Torres. As the councillor has pointed out, “with this programme, the Junta de Andalucia tries to minimise the effects of heat on the health of the population, with special attention to the most vulnerable groups.”

According to the Junta de Andalucia, the target population for this programme is people over 65 years of age; the chronically ill; people who take medications that can influence the body’s adaptation to heat, such as psychotropics, antidepressants, hypotensive drugs, and diuretics; children and infants, and those who engage in physical activity in the sun. “Among the objectives of the Plan are to avoid heatstroke and sunstroke and the worsening of pathologies of people in a delicate health situation,” Aguirre pointed out.

Citizens can obtain information and advice to prevent the effects of the rise in temperature through various means, such as the Salud Responde application or the ‘Open Window to the Family’ service, which works by sending messages via SMS and email, also by Salud Responde. In addition, Health and Families have activated once again on the website of the Ministry the section ‘Summer 2021: Take care of your health’ (https://www.veranoysaludandalucia.es/2021/), in which citizens can find recommendations in relation to high temperatures.

The councillor has stated that “in this plan, the work carried out by Primary Care is important, because it offers information to the general population, identifies patients at risk for inclusion in the telephone monitoring plan of Salud Responde, intensifies home visits of our liaison and family nurses and training workshops for professionals in residential centres.” Another pillar of summer care is Salud Responde, which, together with Primary Care professionals, in 2020 followed up by telephone with 13,128 people and, between June 1 and September 15, made 21,621 follow-up calls to frail patients.