opening of new coronavirus ward
opening of new coronavirus wardIDF Spokesperson

For the first time in its history, the IDF opens a new civilian coronavirus ward at Rambam Hospital in Haifa Sunday.

Chief Medical Officer Brigadier General Prof. Alon Glasberg said that it is a national task to train more than 100 staff members in a very short period of time.

The corona wards will be operated by about 100 members of the military medical staff, including doctors, nurses, paramedics and other medical staff from the Medical Corps.

“The IDF has never treated civilians, even in the hard days of the 1950s,” Gl;asberg added.

Over the last week, the members of the Medical Corps underwent professional and comprehensive training by the staff of the medical campus at Rambam, which was adapted to the Health Ministry guidelines. The training included theoretical and practical content.

Rambam hospital director Dr. Michael Halbertal said that the public is to blame for such a step being necessary. “This situation didn’t need to happen. We could have prevented this. Masks, social distancing, and hygiene could have prevented the illness.”

Dr. Halbertal said that the military personnel would serve as a "force multiplier" freeing hospital staff to care for other kinds of patients.