"Today, the Medical Corps is the best organization in the world for treating the wounded, the Americans are also after us. The response we give to the wounded is the best in military history, and I stand behind every word," says Brigadier General Prof. Alon Glazberg, Chief Medical Officer of the IDF.
In a special interview, two weeks after the start of the Iron Sword War, Glazberg says: "We have a psychic human quality. The IDF paramedic course is so prestigious that the joke here is that whoever falls out of the course is sent to the squadron."
The head nurse in Ichilov in an update on the situation of the two abductees released from Hamas captivity // Photo: Ichilov Spokesperson's Office
In a sense, the Medical Corps data speaks for itself. Even before the ground operations began, a record number of hundreds of wounded were transferred in a short time, in a secondary evacuation, to hospitals in central Israel, after their hospitalization at Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva and Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon. A record number of soldiers were recruited to the reserves in the history of the corps – about 2,000 combat doctors and paramedics, paramedics and other medical professionals, including the casualty identification units and blood services, and even some of the special gas units.
In addition, some 500 mental health workers, including psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers, were recruited, wounded and trauma rehabilitation systems were established, and new arrangements were approved that had never been seen before in Israel, such as the immediate establishment of a mental health center in the IDF. In addition, for the first time, it was arranged for all IDF soldiers to receive drugs with military prescriptions in all pharmacy chains in Israel (Super-Pharm and B Pharm).
"Hundreds of injured people were transferred to the center within a short time." Evacuation by helicopter, photo: AP
According to IDF figures, the medical corps itself has already suffered heavy losses in the barbaric offensive near the Gaza Strip: to date, 15 soldiers and medical officers have been killed. To date, the IAF has treated 2,600 victims of anxiety and post-traumatic stress from the Black Saturday massacres, and in battles and security incidents to date.
Medical teams from the 669th Air Rescue Unit also evacuated 281 wounded in 85 urgent launches in the first 36 hours of the war. In rescuing the wounded, 110 units of blood were used, and 220 life-saving tourniquets were placed on the battlefield.
"We are prepared for the main problem on the battlefield, which is blood loss, so every paramedic today is equipped with an unbreakable bottle containing dry plasma. Diluted with water, it becomes a blood product, which saves lives on the battlefield and significantly reduces the mortality of wounded in battle. In addition, some units – such as the 669th Air Rescue Unit – are also equipped with blood units that are always refrigerated."
"We have a psychic human quality.
The IDF paramedic course is so prestigious that the joke is whoever falls out of the course – they send him to the squadron."
Glazberg is always, and these days in particular, in close contact with the heads of medical forces around the world, including the US and Ukrainian air forces. Part of the preparation is also the presence of anesthesiologists and intensive care nurses, who are on immediate readiness in each company for the rapid treatment of the seriously wounded. The goal is to treat a wounded person on the battlefield in Gaza or Lebanon within one to four minutes at most. For the first time, units capable of rescuing the wounded were also activated and deployed in military ambulances stationed near the border.
"It doesn't make sense to operate in a tent"
Brig. Gen. Glazberg notes that in Gaza, preparations are being made to evacuate the wounded as quickly as possible to hospitals in the south, headed by Soroka in Beer Sheva. "It doesn't make sense to operate on a wounded person in a tent when there's a hospital 20 kilometers away," Glazberg explains. In Lebanon, the preparations are to provide treatment in a field hospital as well, including emergency surgeries and intensive care.
Alongside the Ministry of Health, the IDF's Chief Medical Officer is also responsible for the policy for special preparedness of hospitals during emergencies. Indeed, on Sunday morning he held another emergency discussion with Health Ministry Director General Moshe Bar Siman Tov. Among other things, the two discussed the work of the hospitals, after a decision was made on Black Saturday night to halt all elective (non-urgent) medical operations.
"We are prepared for the main problem on the battlefield - blood loss.
Every paramedic today is equipped with an unbreakable bottle containing dry plasma, which saves lives."
According to Glazberg, as of yesterday morning, all hospitals are working as usual, including non-urgent medical activity, except for Ziv Hospitals in Safed and the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, which "are already fully operational underground." It was decided that Rambam Hospital in Haifa would also continue to work as usual in the meantime.
Emotional help for soldiers
Part of the Medical Corps' special and urgent deployment in the war is in the field of mental health. Even before the war, an analysis of the IAF's internal data shows that during their military service, 42% of regular soldiers met with a mental health officer. There are also high figures among soldiers and officers serving in the army. The preparations include the recruitment of about 500 mental health officers, so that there will be a mental health officer in each battalion, in addition to the mental health officers in the medical units themselves.
Forces on the Gaza border, photo: AP
According to Glazberg, "After a long deliberation, we opened a telephone line for mental health help for IDF soldiers, which has already been contacted by about 1,800 male and female soldiers. In addition, in the north and south, two centers for soldiers' anxiety and psychological trauma responses have already been opened, and a field hospital for emotional trauma responses has also been opened." According to the Chief Medical Officer, civilian and military mental distress will greatly increase due to the war, and there is a critical need for the country to prepare for unprecedented distress and demand for mental health services in the country.
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