Saving lives on the way to the hospital
“From the very first siren, before we even knew what was happening, I understood that we had to act immediately,” Prof. Eilat Shinar says. “The supply of available blood was significantly lower than usual, because we were at the end of the Sukkot vacation and people naturally donated less. After assessing the situation with our CEO very early in the morning, we decided to start large-scale blood collection drives in order to prepare for casualties. Wolfson and Ichilov hospitals helped us by providing relatively safe sites for blood collections, and so we started. By around 10:00 a.m. the blood collection sites were already open. That day we collected 3,800 units of blood, three times more than on a regular day,” she notes.
All sectors of society lined up to donate blood. Upon learning of the disaster and the unimaginable number of casualties, MDA’s blood services organized mass blood drives, to meet the hospitals’ enormous demand for blood. “In the first ten days, all residents of Israel, everybody, from all sectors of society, showed up to donate blood,” Prof. Shinar says. “They forgot the internal conflicts, the polarity, ignored everything that separated us and just showed up. To me, this was an amazing reaction from the public. It was very exciting to see. People stood in orderly lines, and if a rocket siren sounded, they evacuated to a protected area and then went back to standing in line. I have never seen anything like it before. At some point, we reached an excellent quota of blood inventory and announced that mass collections were no longer needed. People still wanted to come; it was amazing.”
To enable these large-scale blood drives, the blood service workers were required to work hard around the clock. “Over the years, all emergency situation assessments have warned that preparations must be made for the absence of about 30 percent of the workforce in the event of a disaster. Starting Saturday morning, even without being called, blood service workers showed up with 100% attendance. Not even one person was missing. Everyone understood the magnitude of the moment, the need for blood to save lives, and their crucial role. Despite the pain, the personal cost, the sirens. All the workers, including those in the south, showed up. In times of emergency, MDA’s blood services are assisted by a designated reserve battalion. “On Saturday, they had already recruited everyone,” says Prof. Shinar. “They received a quick professional refresher training and since then they have been with us, assisting with all blood collections throughout the country.”
The blood that is donated is sent to the blood services laboratories for processing and testing and is then sent to hospitals across the country. It’s teamwork at its best.