9 March 2007
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Air conditioning on the NHS
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THE NHS is to offer portable air conditioning units to up to 1 million people with serious lung conditions.
The move is part of a preventative health strategy announced by health secretary Patricia Hewitt, with the aim to cutting pressure on the NHS.
During the heatwave of 2003, the overall death rate in England and Wales soared by 16%, resulting in 2,157 deaths - mainly of older people.
Last year, 1,000 people died in the Netherlands and 940 in Belgium as a result of the hot weather.