A few weeks ago, Irina Kogan (64) from a small town in the Golan Heights was on her way home when suddenly she suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed in the street. Passersby dialed Magen David Adom’s 101 hotline, where they were instructed on how to perform CPR, while MDA simultaneously dispatched first responders and a Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) ambulance.
MDA’s A.I.-driven technology contacts the closest first responders who can begin lifesaving operations even before an ambulance arrives. Within a few moments, senior MDA paramedic Aviv Katz arrived. He immediately began strenuous resuscitation operations.
“When I received the call, I was literally hundreds of meters away,” said Aviv Katz. “Irina was unconscious on the floor and I began the electric shock treatment. A few moments later, the MICU team joined me and together we managed to obtain a pulse.
“Time and time again we witness the tremendous power of the AED [automated external defibrillator].”
“I kept in touch with Irina and her family,” said Husam Amasa, one of the MICU paramedics. “I visited her at the hospital when she was fully conscious and when we met we were both very excited. She said she wanted to come to the MDA station to visit all the team members who saved her life.”
“From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all,” Irina said when they met. “You took care of me with great dedication and professionalism, as if I were the whole world. A huge thank you to all.”
