With the outbreak of war between Israel and Iran, Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot declared its highest level of alert. As a result, entire departments were evacuated, apart from existing protected areas, and many patients were discharged to their homes. Within a short time, the hospital established an underground hospitalization complex to better cope with the threat. With donations currently being raised, there are plans to prepare an additional facility intended to serve as an underground protected inpatient shelter. Since the beginning of the war, the medical center has been operating under emergency conditions, making significant effort to continue expanding the medical services it provides, while ensuring the safety of patients and staff.
Since the beginning of the fighting until today, more than 260 war casualties have been treated at Kaplan Medical Center. In the previous round with Iran (Operation Rising Lion), approximately 180 patients were treated at the medical center. Just last week, there were two missile strikes in the area of the hospital, in Rehovot, and casualties from the impact sites streamed into the hospital.
Kaplan Medical Center, which serves over one million residents from Rehovot, Kiryat Malachi, Modiin, Rishon LeZion, and Ashdod, is one of the central hospitals of Clalit Health Services in Israel.
Its location in the heart of the Shfela region, which has a high concentration of military bases and facilities, has placed it on the front line since the beginning of the war with Iran. According to the Home Front Command, Rehovot and its surrounding areas are among the most heavily targeted regions, a fact that places the hospital itself under direct threat, even as it continues to provide medical care to civilians and security forces during rocket fire.
In the first round of fighting between Israel and Iran, the hospital dealt with a mass-casualty incident when an Iranian missile struck a residential building in Rehovot, causing extensive destruction and the death of two people. That same day, 73 wounded people were admitted to the hospital; two in serious condition, seven in moderate condition, and the rest mildly injured.
Dr. Alon Bar, Head of the trauma unit at the Kaplan Medical Center stated, “Within ten minutes of the impact, the wounded began arriving, without any significant prior information from Magen David Adom or other rescue forces. Dozens of casualties came in, and everything had to work as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
With the launch of Operation Lion’s Roar, it was decided to proactively evacuate hospital departments to protected areas or nearby spaces in order to ensure the safety of patients and staff. Building A, the hospital’s main inpatient building, was completely evacuated of patients and staff. The hospital explains that while new protected spaces have been prepared with hospital beds, there is still a shortage of protected inpatient beds, which necessitated discharging patients. So far, more than 60% of patients have been sent home due to the lack of adequate protection.
Despite the challenges, Kaplan Medical Center continues to provide the highest level of medical services even under emergency conditions and heavy strain. With the start of the campaign, all essential personnel were called in from their homes; doctors, nurses, support staff, maintenance workers, administrative personnel, orderlies, transport staff, and administrators. Day after day, they all report in to care for patients, despite the complex personal situations each of them faces.
Among the staff are those whose spouses have been called up for reserve duty, parents forced to remain at home without educational frameworks for their children, and doctors and nurses concerned about elderly parents left alone during air raid sirens. Despite everything, the staff continues to arrive at the hospital every day, out of a deep sense of responsibility toward the patients who need them specifically at this time.
Dr. Bar explains that the lack of sufficient protected facilities also limits their preparedness for mass-casualty events. He explains, “Specifically at this time, looking towards the future, in a country that experiences ballistic missile attacks almost every year, expanding and completing the protection of Kaplan Medical Center is more important than ever.”
Dr. Bar adds, “In moments like these, when Israel’s healthcare system stands on the front line alongside civil society, the partnership of the global Jewish community is of great importance. Support for projects involving protection, medical equipment, and emergency infrastructure is not just a contribution to one hospital, it is an investment in Israel’s ability to protect its citizens and continue providing medical care under fire. We call on friends of Israel and partners around the world to take part in this effort and assist in strengthening Kaplan Medical Center, to ensure it can continue to stand on the front line and save lives even in the most difficult times.”
Written in collaboration with Kaplan Medical Center