The Israeli Health Ministry ordered hospitals in the north to be ready to receive thousands of wounded, under extraneous conditions, as fighting intensifies on Israel’s border with Lebanon, according to a report by Kan.
The Ziv Hospital in Safed and the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya started preparing for what has been described as a “desert island” situation, meaning days without equipment, medicines or food in the event of a massive Hezbollah attack.
The hospitals in Safed and Nahariya have also been instructed to prepare for the transfer of patients to other medical centers. Furthermore, the Health Ministry advised an increased vigilance and preparedness in all hospital systems and health insurance funds across the country.
In addition, hospitals in the north have been asked to be able to respond to an emergency situation within a few hours and, if necessary, to maintain a 50 percent occupancy rate to allow the wounded to be received only in protected units.
A situation in which medical teams themselves are injured or forced to enlist as reservists, is also part of the Health Ministry preparation, and has appealed to the assistance of foreign doctors.
As such, some seven thousand Jewish doctors from the Diaspora have expressed their willingness to volunteer and will come to Israel if needed.
