Magen David Adom has ensured that the State of Israel’s medical system have the blood supply they need despite the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the organization’s director of blood services, Dr. Eilat Shinar.
“We had a major challenge, because most of the working places were closed - schools, yeshivas, all of the places we are usually going to collect blood from 1,000 volunteers a day were closed.
“So we thought out of the box and decided to go to the neighborhoods,” she said in an interview at The Jerusalem Post Annual Conference. “People could just go out of their own houses to a mobile blood unit and donate blood.”
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Magen David Adom has been responsible for all of Israel’s blood supply, including for the IDF, since 1950. During COVID, many countries experienced a lack of needed blood for transfusions due to lockdowns and social distancing, as well as people being unable to donate because they were infected with coronavirus.
“We did not have to cut the blood supply,” Shinar said.
She spoke on a panel with her colleague, Dr. Shafir Botner. He told the Post about a new program that is soon to launch that will allow US-trained paramedics to receive certification in Israel and vice versa.
“During a lot of emergency situations in Israel, we are asked by American paramedics to come and help us in Israel,” he said. “So, we thought it would be a great idea to have an American paramedic working here under our certification.”
He said the organization is now in the process of finalizing the program.