On 16 and 17 October 2025, the Espace de l'Océan in Anglet hosted the 12th edition of the National Days of Pediatric SMUR. Health professionals, emergency specialists and institutional actors met to address the major challenges of pediatric rescue, among which the issue of cross-border cooperation was addressed.
Dr. Nicolas Harcaut, from the Hospital Center of the Basque Coast, presented the challenges and advances related to emergency management in the cross-border area. The territory in which the Hospital Center of the Basque Coast operates is marked by its cultural and geographical proximity with the Autonomous Communities of Euskadi and Navarre, which requires a daily collaboration between medical services of different border regions.
However, administrative, linguistic and regulatory differences are obstacles to be overcome in order to ensure that every patient receives prompt and equitable care, regardless of their side of the border.
SA-URG: a European project at the service of health
The project develops innovative tools to facilitate communication and coordination between the rescue services in the cross-border area, while enhancing cooperation between institutions and the concrete impact of European policies on citizens' lives.
The project develops innovative tools to facilitate communication and coordination between aid services in the cross-border area, while enhancing cooperation between institutions and the concrete impact of European policies on the lives of citizens.
The ultimate objective is based on the principles of reciprocity and efficiency: regardless of the patient’s location, the medical response must be rapid, coordinated and appropriate and ensure continuity of care, legal security for teams and transparency in medical exchanges. Moreover, Dr. Nicolas Harcaut presented the cross-border agreement for urgent medical aid linking the Basque Government’s Health Department, ARS Nouvelle-Aquitaine and the Hospital Center of the Basque Coast since 2010.
Thus, Dr. Harcaut recounted an emblematic intervention: the care of a Spanish child who drowned on the French coast in the summer of 2024. Thanks to cross-border coordination, the child was able to benefit from an initial resuscitation in France before being transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit in San Sebastian. This example illustrates the effectiveness of collaboration between the two health systems and the relevance of the protocols implemented. «Through the SA-URG project, cooperation continues to expand. Collaborations are underway with Navarra and other Pyrenean territories," said Nicolas Harcaut. The long-term goal is to establish cross-border transfers and care between all border territories, regardless of the patient’s nationality.
