Hospitals should minimize number of patients for now, says Health Ministry official

By Diana Bletter

You will receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

You will no longer receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

19 June 2025, 5:05 pm

Edit

Reporter at The Times of Israel

Doctors wheel a patient to safety after a building at Soroka Hospital was struck by an Iranian missile in Beersheba in southern Israel on June 19, 2025. (JOHN WESSELS / AFP)

Dr. Sefi Mendelovich, the deputy director of the Health Ministry, calls on hospitals to implement measures to decrease inpatient populations, according to the Ynet news outlet.

Hospitals have been instructed to discharge women 12 hours after childbirth, compared to the current standard of 36 hours for vaginal births and 48 hours for cesarean sections.

The ministry has told hospitals to refresh their internal mass-casualty event protocols, including “emergency evacuation” procedures for wards hit by missiles.

Preparations must also include readiness for hazardous materials scenarios, requiring updates to toxicological emergency plans and the activation of outdoor decontamination systems.