600 defibrillators to be installed at lottery booths across Israel
The company hopes to reduce deaths by cardiac arrest following similar successful schemes abroad.
By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDSAn Ultra orthodox Jewish man stands in front of a lottery station in Bnei Brak city, near Tel Aviv, September 28, 2005.(photo credit: GIL COHEN MAGEN)
Defibrillators are to be installed at 600 lottery ticket booths across Israel in a bid to cut the incidences of death due to cardiac arrest.Each defibrillator will be attached to the outside of the booths to allow the equipment to be used at all hours, and will have a wireless connection to the Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency telephone number, 101.City-dwellers who identify a case of cardiac arrest will be directed by MDA emergency line staff to the nearest defibrillator, and will receive instructions on how to use the equipment to keep the patient alive until paramedics can reach the scene.Mifal HaPais (the Israeli National Lottery) has invested NIS 5 million in the equipment, which will be installed at their locations nationwide.Similar schemes in the US, Austria and France, among other countries, have proven that the use of defibrillators as a first response in case of cardiac arrest significantly improves the patient's chances of regaining consciousness.Mifal HaPais chairman Avigdor Yitzhaki said that, "the purpose of the scheme is to save lives.""Installing resuscitation devices at lottery booths will enable immediate primary care in city areas, and in some cases even save the lives of patients from the most common cause of death in Israel and around the world – cardiac arrest."He added that "Mifal HaPais invests in Israeli society, and there is no greater social cause than to save lives. Therefore, we immediately approved the roll-out."MDA director general Eli Bein said: “the collaboration with Mifal HaPais by means of deployment of defibrillators at its booths is an example of creative cooperation for the sake of saving lives.”The roll-out will be supported by a joint publicity campaign between Mifal HaPais and MDA to raise public awareness of the availability of the equipment, which is expected to be installed within the next few months.
