Haifa hospital to drill for rocket attack

As officials warn of growing Hezbollah threat, Rambam Medical Center to test world’s largest underground hospital

Amid fresh talk of Hezbollah rocket threats, the largest hospital in northern Israel will hold a live simulation of its fortified underground hospital.

Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center will conduct in June a simulation of its Sammy Ofer Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital, a bomb-proof medical center situated below the hospital campus.

Within 72 hours, the hospital’s parking lot can be converted into a 2,000-bed, full-service medical clinic, and become a fully sealed shelter against up to three days of biological and chemical attacks.

The largest of just three such structures in the world, the emergency hospital separates into various wards, including neurology, surgery, and OBGYN.

Fortified underground hospital at the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, April 2, 2015 (photo credit: courtesy Rambam Health Care Campus)

Speaking to the Times Of Israel on Wednesday, outgoing head of the Home Front Command Maj. Gen. Eyal Eisenberg warned that towns in northern Israel could face an “abundance of impacts [of rockets],” and said the public should prepare for 1,200-1,500 rockets per day during a confrontation with Hezbollah.

Also on Wednesday, Israel ran a series of successful tests for the David Sling anti-ballistic missile system. The mid-range missile defense system is capable of intercepting rockets coming in from over 300 kilometers (180 miles) away, and is expected to become operational within two months.

“Rambam Medical Center understands its responsibility to prepare and respond to any altercation in the north of Israel,” said Director General of Rambam Professor Rafael Beyer.

“This latest assessment from the Home Front Command further highlights the hospital’s role in a national protective front against these threats and we will ensure that we do everything possible to keep our patients and the general public safe under any and all circumstance. Our underground hospital is a testament to that.”

The David’s Sling -- a new mid- to long-range missile interceptor -- successfully shot down a rocket in its first test on Sunday (photo courtesy of Defense Ministry) — The David’s Sling — a new mid- to long-range missile interceptor — successfully shot down a rocket in its first test on Sunday (photo credit: courtesy of Defense Ministry)

The simulation will be held during Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center annual summit in early June. The “From Vision to Reality” summit will host leading dignitaries, scientists and philanthropists from around the world, and will also celebrate the opening of the hospital’s new cutting-edge oncology center.

Rambam Medical Center Campus serves the over 2 million residents of Northern Israel, as well as the Israel Defense Forces Northern Command, UN Peacekeeping Forces, and the US 6th Fleet.