Israeli medical centre transforms itself into war-ready underground hospital
Rambam Health Care Campus runs dramatic drill which sees the entire hospital move into fully-functioning 2,000 bed facility in a car park
An emergency drill has shown how the biggest medical centre in northern Israel can transform itself into a war-ready 2,000 bed underground hospital.
The exercise scenario at Rambam Health Care Campus imagined mass casualties from missile attacks fired on Haifa from over the Golan Heights, as staff showed how the whole hospital moves to an underground carpark in a matter of hours.
The drill saw logistical staff activate air purifiers and compressors, power generators and air conditioning systems, and deploy toilets and temporary showers, while clinicians practiced transferring patients and their accompanying equipment, including surgical instruments and even dialysis units.
“This cannot be simply a temporary shelter,” said a spokesman. “In the event of an emergency situation, the underground hospital is expected to absorb hundreds of oncology patients, pregnant women, dialysis patients and more, all of whom require ongoing medical care while the region is under fire.”
Rambam, which is northern Israel’s only trauma centre, said “lessons were learned” after the 2006 Lebanon War, when Israel and Hezbollah traded blows, with the loss of more than 160 Israeli lives.
“After two months of dealing with an impossible scenario of treating the sick and wounded under fire, we decided that this reality could not be repeated,” said Professor Rafi Beyar, director of Rambam.
“About five years ago, the underground hospital at Rambam was inaugurated. This facility is of strategic importance for the entire northern region. I hope we will never have to use it, but if the day comes, we will be ready for any scenario.”
Its underground ‘command centre,’ from where all emergency activities will be managed, was inaugurated just last month after a $1 million donation from the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews headed by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein.
Rambam’s Department of Emergency Medicine is also fortified, and will continue to function during wartime.
-
- Drill simulating a missile attack on Haifa in Rambam’s underground hospital.
-
- Drill simulating a missile attack on Haifa in Rambam’s underground hospital.
-
- Rambam Hospital’s new crisis communication center.
-
- A dialysis unit operates in the underground clinic.
Listen to the latest episode of the Jewish Views:
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
