Meals and CPR on wheels: MDA trains Wolt drivers in life-saving first aid

Magen David Adom is training 1,000 Wolt delivery drivers in life-saving first aid, leveraging their widespread presence to improve emergency response nationwide.

 Wolt drivers learn first aid from MDA (photo credit: Yuval Itzhaki)
Wolt drivers learn first aid from MDA
(photo credit: Yuval Itzhaki)

Magen David Adom (MDA) will train 1,000 Wolt delivery drivers, giving them life-saving first aid tools, in a first-of-its-kind cooperation between Wolt and MDA, the companies announced this week.

The cooperation is aimed at taking advantage of the widespread of Wolt drivers around the country, which means that many thousands of delivery people are in the streets at any given time, according to Wolt’s Head of Operations, Eliya Yosefyan.

Because Wolt is so widely used, its delivery drivers are all over the country and often encounter situations in which first aid training could enable them to help others, according to the company.

MDA has already begun training Wolt delivery people, and training includes learning how to complete CPR, treat injuries, stop bleeding, and deal with other health emergencies.

“We understand that the [widespread] presence [of Wolt delivery people] can have a much bigger purpose than just revenue – it can mean the chance to save a life,” said Yosefyan.

 WOLT delivery service (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
WOLT delivery service (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

“The cooperation with MDA will enable us to make sure that as many delivery people as possible, at any given time, will be able to give a first medical response if needed, and in doing so, increase all of our security.”

Drivers eager to help 

“The willingness of [our] delivery people to go through a first aid course with MDA was exciting and strengthens our desire to expand the project beyond the first 1,000 drivers soon,” Yosefyan added.

MDA’s Director-General Eli Bin welcomed the cooperation. “I congratulate Wolt for the extraordinary initiative they have taken to train 1,000 delivery people by the end of the year.”

“The first aid training that the delivery people are going through will give them important tools like CPR and bandaging wounds and will give them a professional first aid toolkit so that they can give a first response until an ambulance arrives if they are ever in that type of situation.”