On Sunday morning, two United Hatzalah volunteers Ibrahim Ayuti and Idan Aziza Tuina, one Muslim, the other Jewish, were running separate errands in Tel Aviv. When they both were in the middle of the city near the Dizengoff shopping center, they received an alert about a man suffering from severe chest pain in the shopping center’s gym.
Both Ibrahim and Idan stopped what they were doing and rushed to the scene of the emergency, where they found a man in extreme pain. They provided initial treatment at the scene and after he was stabilized, waited with the man until an ambulance arrived. Just as they were finishing the handoff of the patient, they received another alert about an unconscious man at one of the entrances to the same mall, only about 50 yards away from their location.
Idan and Ibrahim collected their medical equipment and rushed to the second location where they found a man lying on the sidewalk. After checking for vital signs they found that the man was conscious and simply in need of minor medical treatment and observation. Once again they waited with the patient for the ambulance to arrive and handed him off to the crew once they did.
“It’s always terrific meeting Ibrahim and working with him in the field. He is a dedicated volunteer and a friend that I am proud to work with,” Idan said after the incident.
President and Founder of Eli Beer heard about the incident and said: “United Hatzalah volunteers are never simply running errands. They are always alert and ready to save someone’s life at a moment’s notice. I’m very proud of these volunteers for their incredible dedication and their continuous work to save others even in these trying times where the Omicron virus is running rampant in Israel. Our volunteers risk exposure and contracting the disease every time they go out to treat someone. Of course, we take all the necessary precautions, but still, our volunteers are exposing themselves to save complete strangers and that is an act of heroism. I want to wish all of the volunteers who are sick or who have tested positive for the disease a speedy recovery and thank you for your service.”