Lives aren't just saved in a hospital. They're saved in the ambulance, too

By law, one of MDA’s responsibilities is to operate Israel’s national blood bank. Thus, MDA is responsible for providing 98% of the country’s blood transfusions. This process begins with the generosity of the blood donors, who donate their blood and time for the sake of others. MDA’s Blood Services workers process donors’ questionnaires and then draw the blood of those who are eligible. The blood is then collected and transferred to the labs, where it’s carefully screened, processed (including categorizing it into separate blood types), and only then sent to hospitals and the IDF to be used to save lives.

The events of October 7, with its many wounded, led to a huge demand for life-saving blood transfusions. MDA Blood Services staff mobilized instantaneously to help the war effort, knowing that every blood unit could potentially save the lives of three individuals.

Professor Eilat Shinar, MDA’s Deputy Director General and Director of the Blood Services, was hosting her family for the festival of Simchat Torah, and like many others, the family was awoken in the morning to the terrifying sound of sirens. But unlike others, Professor Shinar’s first thought was one of concern for the State of Israel’s blood supply.

“From the very first siren, even before we knew what was going on, I understood that we had to take immediate action,” says Professor Shinar. “The national blood supply was significantly lower than usual, because we were at the end of the Sukkot festival, and people naturally donated less during the holiday period. During the situation assessment held with the Director General very early in the morning, we decided to prepare for large-scale blood donation drives to be ready for those injured in the attack. Wolfson and Ichilov Hospitals assisted us by giving us access to relatively safe sites, and we began working. By 10:00 AM, the donation sites were up and running. That day, we collected 3,800 units of blood – three times as much as on a regular day,” she tells us.

The arguments, divisions, and polarization within Israel were set aside, and everyone got on board to donate blood

As soon as we began to come to terms with the disaster that was taking place and the inconceivable number of casualties, the Blood Services began preparing itself to receive mass donations to deal with the hospitals’ ever-increasing need for blood to be provided to the wounded. “Over the first ten days of the war, all of Israel’s residents – everyone, from all parts of Israeli society – came to donate blood,” Professor Shinar says. “They set aside all the disagreements, forgot about the polarization, ignored everything that separates us from each other, and simply showed up. In my opinion, it was an amazing public response. It was very moving to see. People stood in line in an orderly manner, and if there was a siren, they went to take cover in a safe place and then came back to stand in the same orderly line. I’d never seen anything like it. At a certain point, we had already reached a remarkable amount of blood donations, and we announced that there was no need to come and donate in such large numbers. People still insisted on coming. It was incredible.”

In order to accommodate the large number of donors, the Blood Services staff had to work intensively around the clock. “Over the years, all of our emergency situation assessments warned that we need to be prepared for about 30% of our workforce to be absent during states of emergency. Beginning that Saturday morning, even without being called upon, we had a 100% staff attendance rate. Not a single one was absent. Everyone understood the enormity of the moment, the need to collect blood to save lives, and the importance of their presence. Despite the pain, the price everyone had to pay, and the sirens, all our workers, including those living in the South, showed up.” 

During emergencies, the MDA Blood Services are assisted by a specialized IDF reservist battalion. “That Saturday, everyone was already enlisted,” says Professor Shinar. “They underwent a quick review of the material, and since then, they’ve been with us, assisting with blood donations around the country.”

After the blood is donated, it arrives at the Blood Services’ labs for processing and screening and is then sent to hospitals across the country. The process relies on and exemplifies MDA’s teamwork.

“It was clear that we wouldn’t give up on the move”

Since its establishment, the Blood Services have been based at Tel HaShomer Hospital, but the security threat in the center of the country led MDA to decide to set up its own sheltered, bomb-proof building to ensure that the organization’s Blood Services would be able to continue regardless of the circumstances and that life-saving blood would always be available.

The date set for moving the Blood Services to the new building was October 9. “The urgency of moving the Blood Services over was obvious,” Professor Shinar tells us. “So we moved. Despite the enormous workload, the endless sirens, the large blood donation drives, the fighting – everything, including the blood components department and the deliveries – was transferred to the new, protected blood bank in Ramleh, and everything found its new place exactly as we had envisioned. The next day, the staff began to work as if they had always worked there. Now, even when the sirens go off, the workers continue to process the blood, and that way, we’re able to protect our staff as well as Israel’s national blood supply that is so dear to us.”

MDA provides blood to hospitals throughout the country and is also responsible for supplying blood to the IDF for those wounded on the battlefield. This is a truly groundbreaking development: Israel is one of only three countries in the world, alongside Norway and the USA, where full blood transfusions can be completed on the battlefield itself. “By 2018, whole blood units were introduced to the IDF’s Search and Rescue unit 669,” Professor Shinar says. “Today, whole blood units are supplied to every military helicopter, military mobile intensive care units, MDA air ambulances, and certain special units out in the field. Every injured person who has serious bleeding and is treated by one of these units receives whole blood. These are specific Type O blood units, especially suited for field transfusions. I saw a clip that was broadcast on TV of a rapid evacuation carried out by Unit 669; in a conversation between the field team and the helicopter crew, the military field medic reported: ‘I have a severely wounded casualty; he’s unconscious, and he has received blood.’ I was moved. Lives are being saved in the truest sense of the word.”

Saving Lives

“Saving lives is MDA’s motto, and that’s our guiding light: whether by supplying blood to hospitals and military units, or by supplying breastmilk,” Professor Shinar concludes, referring to the MDA’s National Human Milk Bank, which is also managed by the Blood Services. “I’m proud of the Blood Services staff, who haven’t stopped working for a single moment and haven’t rested since the morning of October 7. They demonstrate true commitment and are devoted to what they do in every fiber of their being. I joined MDA as a 40-year-old, and what really struck me was the staff’s deep connection, devotion, and understanding of the weight of responsibility on their shoulders. I always say that there isn’t another workplace like it, where you go in to work every day and save lives.”