The French authorities have instructed the country’s hospitals to develop plans by March 2026 for receiving and treating thousands of wounded soldiers in the event of a large-scale military conflict in Europe. This was reported by the newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné, noting that the order was sent out by the Ministry of Health and confirmed on BFMTV by Minister Catherine Vautrin.
The document states the need to create an infrastructure that will allow France to become a kind of ‘hospital of Europe.’ In the event of an escalation of the situation on the continent, French clinics would have to bear the brunt of treating both their own military personnel and those of their allies. According to the ministry’s estimates, this would involve between 10,000 and 50,000 patients, whom the French healthcare system would be obliged to treat for a period of 10 to 180 days. After receiving treatment, foreign military personnel must be evacuated to their home countries, which makes France a key medical logistics hub for NATO and the EU.
Particular attention is being paid to recruiting civilian medical personnel. The Ministry of Health is considering the possibility of temporarily mobilising doctors regardless of their current specialisation and sector of employment. Thus, even specialists who are not involved in traumatology or military medicine can be recruited to treat the wounded.
While during the COVID-19 pandemic the healthcare system was preparing for scenarios involving the mass admission of patients with infectious diseases, the focus has now shifted to traumatology, medical evacuation and psychiatric care. Rehabilitation and treatment of post-traumatic disorders are also among the priorities.
The French authorities are working on the basis of a ‘high-intensity conflict’ scenario, similar to the one already underway in Ukraine.
