Strasbourg hospital A&E disrupted by illicit drone deliveries to nearby prison

Neither the SAMU nor the civil protection service: rescue helicopters no longer land at night at Hautepierre hospital, to the west of Strasbourg. The decision was taken on 28 July because of the night-time presence of civilian drones in the heliport area.

These devices, carrying parcels, are bound for the nearby Elsau remand prison. In recent years this method of "delivery" has been booming in prisons across France, and Strasbourg is no exception. Since April, the heliport security teams have detected 19 flights over the area.

Two incidents occurred in July. Drones flying over the area prevented helicopters carrying patients from landing. According to the hospital, there were no serious consequences for the patients involved. However, night-time helicopter arrivals of patients have been suspended and their transport has had to be reorganised.

Every year, Hautepierre hospital receives around forty patients during aeronautical night, accounting for 13 % of air rescue activity. This period starts 30 minutes after sunset and ends 30 minutes before sunrise.

An extra thirty minutes before treatment

The solution found involves travelling by road. Helicopters carrying patients are redirected to a neighbouring facility, the Nouvel Hôpital Civil, before being transferred by ambulance. The protocol does not satisfy hospital staff.

The manoeuvre requires the mobilisation of an additional medical team. Above all, it costs precious time: between 30 and 40 minutes. Patients arriving by helicopter are generally multiple-trauma cases, often from road accidents, or stroke victims. And every minute can count in their treatment.

"We cannot rule out that among them there will be patients for whom this additional delay of 30 or 40 minutes could pose a risk to life, to functional recovery, lead to a longer recovery, or require heavier or longer treatment," Julien Pottecher, head of the anaesthesia and intensive care department at Hautepierre hospital, told AFP.

The prefecture and the regional health agency are urgently seeking solutions to this situation. One option being considered is landing on a football pitch near the hospital.

Two people convicted

On Tuesday 18 August, two people were convicted of complicity in an attempted delivery of items to an inmate. The consequences "for everyday life", and particularly for the neighbouring university hospital, were underlined by prosecutor Félix Delaporte during the trial. "The stakes are serious," he said. "There is a real risk to people!"

The two defendants, young men aged 18 and 19, were arrested during a police operation that uncovered parcels ready for delivery: nearly 200 g of cannabis resin, some herbal cannabis, cocaine, cigarettes, SIM cards and even meat were seized.

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