Unfortunately the May program has officially been cancelled.

All participants have been contacted and MDA Israel will be processing a full refund of any fees paid (minus the $50 application fee).

With regards to the June & July sessions, we are recommending that participants not book their flights for now and we will keep you posted if we need to cancel those sessions.

For further inquiries contact the office on 02 9358 2521. Watch this space.

“As the 90th Anniversary of MDA’s Establishment Approaches, MDA Continues as They have for Decades to Embody the Phrase ‘He Who Saves One Life is as if He Saved an Entire World.'”

On Tuesday February 25th, during his visit to Australia the President of Israel Mr. Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin partook in an event in his honor hosted by Australian Friends of Magen David Adom, Sydney.

In his speech to over 200 donors and supporters at the event, the President praised MDA saying “MDA is not only important, but does truly holy work which is provided to all citizens, tourists and even residents of other countries, some of which we do not have peace with, all in an effort to save lives.”

The President continued and praised the joint work of MDA’s volunteers and employees across all sectors of Israeli society and demographics, stating that “our power is in our unity.”

“We would not be able to do what we do without your support”, he praised those in attendance “and therefore, I am here, to thank you as the President of Israel and a citizen of Israel. Every life saved or blood product donated is because of you. Thanks to you, MDA is able to provide extensive services throughout the country and make use of the most advanced technologies.”

Mr. Rivlin concluded by saying “all Jews are responsible for one another”.

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With thanks to funds received from the estate of the late Vera Clarke (1923-2015), MDA NSW proudly announced the opening of an Advanced Driver Simulator, located in the main MDA Bloomberg Station in Jerusalem.

The simulator will be used to train Magen David Adom Israel’s ambulance drivers. In the Emergency Medical field every second can mean the difference between life and death. MDA teams and ambulances often rush to patients having to manoeuvre through traffic at fast speeds in challenging conditions. As such, MDA’s ambulances are often involved in accidents on the way to an emergency. The simulators aim to improve and better the driving skills of the ambulance driver whilst not endangering the public. It records errors and teaches how to correct them during real time driving and allows for different driving scenarios, snow, hazardous terrain, etc specific to Israel’s roads.

The MDA board recognised Jeremy’s incredible service to our community by dedicating a medicycle in his memory.

These first responder medicycles are a vital part of MDA’s lifesaving services as they can more easily navigate through heavy traffic and narrow streets. Thanks to GPS technology, MDA’s world leading dispatch system immediately communicates and deploys the closest paramedics, further reducing response times.

Medicycles carry a kit of medical equipment and a defibrillator that can treat a multitude of injuries caused by trauma or other medical conditions.

Melissa McCurdie was present to officially dedicate the medicycle.

Thank you again to all of our supporters for your generous donations made during our Annual Campaign 2018. As promised, part of the funds raised have been used to create Israel’s first Mothers Milk Bank.

Families with seriously ill premature babies now have access to the best ‘medicine’ they can get, natural breast milk. Mothers with premature babies are often sick themselves and are unable to provide breast milk to their children. The mothers milk will be donated by volunteers which will be a lifeline for these babies.

Donations can still be made to this most important project, with inscription plaques and naming rights still available. Please click here or contact Doron Lazarus on (02) 9358 2521 or 0487 340 092 if you would like more information.

Contemporary approach to illicit drug-related harms – insights from the sharp end of illicit drug use in Kings Cross”- In conversation with Dr Ingrid van Beek AM.

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Our Annual Solicitors, Accountants and Professionals Lunch was another great success. Our Guest Speaker, The Honourable Ruth McColl AO addressed the audience with some insights and advice from her years of experience.

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MAGEN DAVID ADOM MOVES ITS NATIONAL DISPATCH CENTER TO A NEW REINFORCED FACILITY AS A SAFEGUARD AGAINST MISSILE, CHEMICAL, AND BIOLOGICAL ATTACK

The move coincides with other steps the organisation is taking to prepare for a number of emergency scenarios, including the possibility of war.

On February 25th, Magen David Adom, dedicated its new National Operations Center in Kiryat Ono, a new dispatch center that’s housed in a reinforced and partially subterranean facility designed to be protected against missile, chemical, and biological attack.

The new center has been fully operational since the start of February.

The regional dispatch centers for the Yarkon and Ayalon regions, two of the nine regional dispatch centers MDA also operates, are also now working out of the protected facility in Kiryat Ono.

The dedication was attended by more than 200 people, including Israeli Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon.

The move to a protected dispatch facility is one of several initiatives Magen David Adom has undertaken in recent years to reduce the disruptions Israel’s emergency medical services would have to contend with in the event of a war. MDA is also currently constructing a new reinforced blood services center in Ramla, which like the new National Operations Center, is designed to be protected against attacks. That facility will be completed in late 2020.

“As the nation’s EMS, blood-services, and disaster-relief agency, we need to prepare for virtually every scenario,” said Eli Bin, Israel’s director-general. “When our services will be most critically needed, like during a war, it’s especially important that our dispatch operations not be compromised.”

The new National Operations Center is just one floor below MDA’s previous dispatch center, making the transition as seamless as possible. The lower floor underwent extensive renovations to be reinforced and fitted with a state-of-the-art air-filtration system to guard against a number of different kinds of attacks.

“Our goal was to harden our facility and ensure we could continue operating in a war without causing any disruption to our day-to-day EMS operations during the transition,” said Ido Rosenblat, MDA’s chief information officer.

As an additional failsafe measure, MDA’s regional dispatch centers can handle the National Operations Center’s dispatch load should it be disabled. In addition, a state-of-the-art mobile command center can also take over much of the dispatch operations.

“The key to protecting our ability to dispatch EMTs to medical emergencies in a war or natural disaster is redundancy,” Rosenblat said. “And that means not only directly protecting the National Operations Center, but ensuring there are other viable options even if that fails.”

As Israel’s national EMS dispatchers, Magen David Adom deploys 1,100 of its own ambulances, 25,000 MDA EMTs as well as more than 8,500 first responders, most based on motorcycles.

WILL THEY STILL NEED US? Will Artificial Intelligence (AI) take over the Doctor’s role?

Thank you to all those attended the MDA & AJMF Medical Forum last week with Special Guest Speaker Enrico Coiera.

A packed house enjoyed a thoroughly thought provoking, stimulating and sometimes, controversial evening.

Stay tuned for Part 2 in our Medical Forum series.

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8 Days for 8 Miracles

Each day in Israel, Magen David Adom emergency teams, paramedics, medics and volunteers are performing lifesaving miracles. Whether responding to serious accidents, trauma incidents, terror attacks or delivering babies, they bring the miracle of life, even when sometimes it means risking their own.

Please help ensure that Magen David Adom in Israel are always ready to respond no matter the situation. Renew or become a member today and take part in the next lifesaving miracle here.