A senior delegation from Ireland’s National Ambulance Service arrived in Israel last week to study the operations, emergency calls management, and crisis response of Magen David Adom, Israel’s national Emergency Medical Service.
The delegation was introduced to Israel’s healthcare system and various activities of MDA, including emergency preparedness, disaster response, patient care in peacetime and emergencies, and national emergency planning. The Irish officials were impressed by the extensive volunteer network of MDA and its contribution to communities across the nation.
The seven-member Irish delegation visited MDA’s national integrated operations center in Kiryat Ono, where they were presented with the management of emergencies, inter-organizational collaboration, and the ‘MDA in the Community’ project aimed at reducing the burden on hospitals. The group also became acquainted with the technologies utilized by MDA and the protocol, from receiving an emergency call at the 101 center to the arrival of an ambulance on the scene.
The Irish delegation toured MDA’s secure, state-of-the-art blood bank in Ramla and the MDA station in Jerusalem. They experienced a driving simulator, practice rooms, and activities in an ambulance model.
The delegation also visited the Shaare Zedek Medical Center, where they were briefed on the seamless cooperation that ensures patient care continuity, from initial phone guidance to field response by MDA teams and advanced hospital treatments.
Clinical Director Prof. Cathal O’Donnell, a member of the delegation, stated: “We at the Irish Ambulance Service are filled with gratitude to Magen David Adom for this opportunity to learn, share ideas, and establish new friendships and connections.”
Medical Director at MDA, Dr.Refael Strugo, said: “Such meetings are crucial as they facilitate mutual learning from each other’s experiences. Indeed, we gleaned much from the methods and lectures presented by the Irish Ambulance Service delegation. Throughout the seminars, we shared MDA’s extensive experience in emergency response, particularly to large-scale incidents, with the medical personnel of the Irish delegation.”
