Heat wave response under scrutiny in Belgium after 1,222 excess deaths reported

Belgium's Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke said Friday that the country's 112 emergency number "did not function properly" during last week's heat wave, as political debate intensifies over a reported rise in excess deaths.

Speaking about the government's response, Vandenbroucke said hospitals were prepared and residential care facilities had been informed in advance of the extreme temperatures, Dutch-language public broadcaster VRT reported.

"This is a problem for society: older people, people living alone, and socially vulnerable people are the victims. And society must address that," he said, adding that such challenges cannot be solved solely through decrees or administrative decisions.

However, the minister criticized the performance of the 112 emergency line during the heat wave and called on Interior Minister Bernard Quintin to address the issue.

"I believe that 112 did not function properly last weekend," he said.

Vandenbroucke also requested an evaluation by the Risk Management Group on the response to the heat wave and said a meeting with public health officials is scheduled for next Wednesday.

The comments come after reports that 1,222 more people died than expected during the period from June 18 to June 29, a period marked by a severe heat wave.

Walloon Socialist Party chairman Paul Magnette sharply criticized the federal government, accusing it of inaction.

In a post on US social media platform X, he said "not a single measure" had been taken and described the government's response as "lethargy."

"Citizens have literally been abandoned to their fate, governments have been unable to organize themselves, and nothing seems to be on the horizon for the future," he wrote.

Separately, Flemish Green Party leader Aimen Horch criticized the government's preparedness and called for a structural heat wave plan, including improved cooling measures for vulnerable facilities.

"Politicians who call climate policy too expensive, impossible, or unwise put people in danger. The solutions are known. What is missing are government members who dare to implement them," Horch said on X.

Horch called for an emergency preparedness plan ahead of future heat waves, proposing public cooling spaces, expanded access to swimming facilities, and an "air conditioning plan" for residential care centers and schools.