The new bus, which was designed and built based on lessons learned from October 7, is equipped with seven beds and 10 seats.
Magen David Adom’s new intensive care bus, the first-of-its-kind in Israel, completed its first mission. Due to the security situation in northern Israel, MDA teams transferred premature infants from Carmel Medical Center to a protected neonatal unit at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa.
Most of the infants were transported using MDA’s new advanced intensive care bus, which has the capacity to transfer seven patients on stretchers and 10 seated patients.
Designed and built based on lessons learned from October 7, the intensive care bus is intended for transporting and treating a large number of patients or injured individuals, and will be used, when necessary, to transfer patients to and from hospitals across the country. It has space for patients, patient-escorts, and medical teams. MDA received the new intensive care bus thanks to a contribution by anonymous donors to American Friends of Magen David Adom.
“MDA is constantly striving to improve and adapt to the emergency medical needs of the State of Israel,” said Eli Bin, director-general of MDA. “The new intensive care bus, which joins MDA’s fleet of specialized vehicles, is a testament to this. Its advanced capabilities and the large number of patients it can evacuate will allow for better, faster, and more efficient medical services for the citizens of Israel.”
Multiple patients can be treated on the bus simultaneously using advanced medications and a sophisticated oxygen system can provide oxygen to all patients at once. The bus features advanced intensive care equipment including monitors, ventilation equipment, resuscitation tools, electric sockets next to each bed, and compatibility with ECMO devices. Patients are carried onto the bus via a side door by a unique and sophisticated hydraulic loading device. The bus is staffed by professional medical teams trained specifically for this purpose.
