Magen David Adom Reports Nearly 2 Million Emergency Calls in Past Year

Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's national emergency medical service, has released its year-end statistics for the Hebrew year 5776 (Tashpa"t), reporting a total of 1,911,412 emergency dispatches across the country. This averages to one dispatch every 16.5 seconds.

The organization's emergency call center, 101, received over 2 million calls, with an average response time of under two seconds. MDA teams provided medical treatment to 67,624 individuals injured in road accidents and assisted in 1,399 births, either at home or en route to the hospital.

MDA's workforce consists of approximately 39,200 volunteers and employees, including 16,500 teenagers. These individuals contributed over 6.3 million volunteer hours during the year. The service operates 213 stations and dispatch points nationwide, utilizing a fleet that includes 652 motorcycles, 275 rapid response vehicles (50 of which are electric), and 117 four-wheel-drive ambulances and intensive care units.

Specialized units also saw significant activity. The sea-ambulance on the Sea of Galilee and in Eilat responded to 153 incidents. The ECMO mobile unit, in collaboration with Shamir Medical Center, treated nine patients, five of whom required heart-lung machine support during resuscitation efforts. Additionally, MDA trained nearly 500,000 people in CPR and first aid through over 17,000 courses. The 'Magen' project, established after the October 7th events to prepare civilian fronts for emergencies, trained 17,804 civilians, including over a thousand doctors and paramedics, equipping them with medical supplies for initial response in isolated areas.

MDA also reported collecting 281,917 units of blood, with 46,407 first-time donors. The National Breast Milk Bank supplied approximately 5,700 liters of breast milk to premature and ill infants. The 'Ambulance of Wishes' fulfilled 128 wishes, and the organization's five helicopters handled 264 patient transports. MDA Director General Eli Bin stated that the organization's staff and volunteers operated with great dedication and compassion, even under fire and at personal risk, and pledged to continue their efforts in the coming year.