In collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Rambam Hospital, the Israel Defense Forces will establish two coronavirus wards on the ground floor of the hospital, which will provide a solution for verified corona patients with moderate morbidity, says Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Brigadier General Hedi Zilberman . “This will be the first time that the IDF has opened a field hospital to treat Israeli citizens on Israeli soil,” Zilberman said. “We will be treating dozens of patients simultaneously who will be hospitalized in the two wards. The first wards will be operational anywhere between two weeks to a month from now.”
According to their website, Rambam Hospital is “located in Israel’s north” and the medical center “is a one thousand bed academic hospital that provides comprehensive medical services for adults and children in all fields of medicine.” While their “cutting-edge diagnostic procedures and therapies” equip Rambam with the necessary means to treat their average stream of regular patients, they have been woefully unprepared in treating patients with severe covid-19 symptoms.
It is no wonder then that news of the IDF-run ward is welcomed throughout the country as The Times of Israel reports that “the number of new cases reached an all-time high last week,” surging to an astonishing “9,053 [new cases] on Wednesday.” While these records “went down to 7,031 on Friday, then 2,581 on Saturday — when the numbers are always lower due to reduced testing over the weekend — and 2,905 on Sunday,” the Health Ministry warned that these figures do not present enough evidence to show that covid-19 is truly in decline.
Luckily, Rambam Hospital’s new wards, run by the Israel Defense Forces, will contain dozens of hospital beds for covid patients. Furthermore, the IDF’s professional personnel have assured the public that they will ensure that these beds will be filled in accordance with the severity of incoming patients. These professional medical personnel are personally trained by the IDF and are specially adapted for treatment of the deadly virus. The staff will include medical corps such as doctors, nurses, paramedics, and paramedics, who will use the equipment of the medical corps and the hospital.
These new wards are being organized at a critical time in Northern Israel: “One of the considerations for choosing Rambam Hospital is due to the high number of patients in the north. The wards will be staffed by regular medics and doctors and will require about a hundred military personnel” announced Spokesperson Zilberman. Affirmative action has been seen across Northern Israel weeks over the past few, including the visit of IDF Chief of General Staff Aviv Kochavi, who, accompanied Major General Uri Gordin (Head of the Home Front Command), to Haifa and the local council of Daliet El Carmel to observe and appreciate the efforts against coronavirus that are being taken there.
As the Sukkot holiday continues throughout the country, Israel has much to be thankful for as it looks ahead at a brighter future in spite of the deadly coronavirus pandemic.