Ambulance (illustration)
Ambulance (illustration)Flash 90

Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics have already begun preparations for the Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) fast next Wednesday, ahead of an expected need for thousands to receive emergency medical care. 

Hundreds of extra medics, ambulances and mobile intensive care units will be added to MDA stations this year, and regional managers have raised the alert level to "high" ahead of one of the busiest days of the year for the medical institution.

MDA teams have been stationed in neighborhoods across major cities and in remote areas nationwide; medical equipment, such as defibrillators, have also been distributed to hundreds of synagogues. 

In addition, medical helicopters will be on hand for emergency care in the most remote areas, particularly in the Golan, Galilee, and Negev. 

"Each year, MDA teams around the country give life-saving medical care to thousands of people who suffer during the fast from dehydration and light-headedness, who are injured on the roads, and more," MDA CEO Eli Bin stated Wednesday. "I urge the public to alert crews every medical need that may arise." 

Bin also called on the public to call MDA at 101 in the need of an emergency, despite the refrain from electronics use during Shabbat and holidays. 

MDA treats an average of 2,000 Israelis during the 25-hour Yom Kippur fast every year, according to Yisrael Hayom. Most patients suffer from dehydration; injuries sustained by bicycle traffic; are children left unattended as parents pray in synagogue; or are pregnant women whose fasting causes early labor.