January 5, 2003
2 Shevat, 5763
JerusalemThe Jewish Agency Meets Israel’s Emergency Medical Needs
Among the latest and critical function the Jewish Agency for Israel has undertaken is providing resources to fortify Israel’s emergency medical capabilities in the advent of an Iraqi chemical weapons attack. This is yet another bit of uncharted territory on which the Jewish Agency, known for its efforts to generate immigration to Israel and to promote Jewish education worldwide, finds itself. “These are difficult times in Israel,” remarked Mr. Jeff Kaye, Director for Financial Resource Development at the Agency. “This is groundbreaking work for the Jewish Agency and we are fortunate that our overseas donors have met the challenge head on.”
If, and when, war erupts between the United States and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, Israel is considered a likely target for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Even though recent predictions from policy wonks and military planners in America and Israel are downplaying the likelihood of such an attack, the State of Israel is not sitting idle. While the military formulates it's responses, Israel’s medical community is gearing up for the worst-case scenario and the Jewish Agency, with funds raised through the Israel Emergency Campaign, is making it possible to equip and train thousands of Israeli medical professionals. The campaign, a partnership between the Jewish Agency and overseas charitable organizations such as the United Jewish Communities of North America, began shortly after the outbreak of Palestinian violence in September 2000 as a means of providing the State with the means of weathering the storm. To date, more than $3 million have been allocated for emergency medical preparedness.
One of the recipients of funds through the Jewish Agency is the National Medical Simulation Center at Tel HaShomer Hospital, just outside of Tel Aviv. In this state-of-the-art facility, thousands of medical personnel are being given a crash course in assessing and treating victims of chemical and biological weapons. The facility was opened 15 months ago and has seen more than 6,000 doctors and nurses come through its various programs. Three thousand of these medical professionals have participated in a two-day seminar dealing exclusively with chemical and biological weapons. “Israel is taking seriously a very real threat,” said Dr. Amitai Ziv, the Center’s Director. “The Center is a place for medical teams to make mistakes in a safe environment so fewer errors are made in the field.”
Treating victims of a chemical attack is very different from the type of trauma encountered on a typical day at a hospital emergency room. Other than the occasional industrial accident, there have been very few instances when chemical weapons agents have been used. A terrorist attack in a Japanese subway in 1995 and Iraq’s use of a chemical “cocktail” against the Kurdish city of Halabja in 1988 are the two best known cases. Israeli military personnel traveled to Japan to consult with Japanese medical personnel and have reviewed the limited data generated from studies done in the aftermath of Halabja to learn what they could. A limited knowledge base combined with the uniquely difficult work environment inherent in a chemical attack -- the medical teams must wear cumbersome protective suits, the patients’ clothing and skin are contaminated and the large number of anticipated casualties – creates a daunting public health challenge.
To prepare medical professionals for their task, the simulation throws many different scenarios at the trainees to give them a taste of the real thing. The teams work in full protective gear, in noisy, sometimes smoked-filled rooms. Each team is videotaped and given the opportunity to watch and critique their performance. These review sessions not only allow participants to learn established procedures but allow for the development of new innovative methods of a caring for the wounded.
Tel HaShomer, one of Israel’s largest hospitals, is equipped to handle 600 casualties within 2 to 3 hours. A medium hospital should be able to handle approximately 400 and the smaller facilities as many as 250. Working through the national healthcare providers, similar to American HMOs, the program intends to train local doctors and nurses in immediate and follow-up care.
In the anxious weeks or months preceding the anticipated the war, Israelis understand that adequate preparation can be the difference between life and death. The Jewish Agency, through its work with donor communities around the world, is working to tilt the scales in favor of life. It is not the mission for which the Agency was created but it is one that it has accepted with skill, determination and, judging from the scene at Tel HaShomer, considerable success.
For additional information contact
the Office of the Spokesman:
Yehuda Weinraub
Liaison to Foreign Press and Media
Jewish Agency for Israel
Mobile:972-53-927017
Fax: 972-2-6204013