Rambam Medical Center drills scenario of mass casualty event from missile hit on apartment building

Renee Ghert-Zand is the health reporter and a feature writer for The Times of Israel.

A drill at Rambam Medical Center simulating a mass casualty event resulting from a missile hitting a residential apartment building, April 18, 2024 (Rambam Medical Center)
A drill at Rambam Medical Center simulating a mass casualty event resulting from a missile hitting a residential apartment building, April 18, 2024 (Rambam Medical Center)

Rambam Medical Center in Haifa holds a drill this morning simulating a mass casualty event resulting from a missile hitting a residential apartment building.

Rambam is northern Israel’s only level-1 trauma center, meaning it offers comprehensive and specialized care for traumatic injuries.

The drill, scheduled prior to this week’s unprecedented attack by Iran, was conducted in cooperation with the IDF Home Front Command and Magen David Adom emergency response services.

The drill simulated the evacuation of 100 casualties to the hospital, requiring the immediate clearing out of the emergency department for their arrival. The hospital also transferred some existing noncritical patients to other hospitals.

Those with light injuries or suffering from extreme anxiety were taken to an appropriate sheltered area for treatment. The moderately and severely wounded were taken to imaging and surgery.

The drill required exact synchronization among all departments and personnel and the maintenance of open routes for unhindered movement throughout the hospital.

Rambam set up its massive underground hospital at the beginning of the war and is ready to transfer all patients and staff to it with several hours’ notice. The hospital says it and the Home Front Command are prepared for a situation in which a strike on a single apartment building could escalate to a wider war.

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