Yad Sarah saved public purse NIS 1.5 billion by lending out medical equipment in past year

A total of 320,000 pieces, from hospital beds to wheelchairs, were lent by the Jerusalem-based organization’s 104 branches.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Yad Sarah lends out medical equipment (photo credit: YAD SARAH, COURTESY)
Yad Sarah lends out medical equipment
(photo credit: YAD SARAH, COURTESY)
More than half a million residents benefited from services from Yad Sarah during the past year, with the voluntary organization saving the public coffers NIS 1.5 billion by lending out medical equipment, it reported on Tuesday.
The Jerusalem-based organization said its 104 branches had lent a total of 320,000 pieces, from hospital beds to wheelchairs.
Since last Rosh Hashana, it provided wheelchairs and shower seats for the disabled to 58,000 people, and 40,000 milk pumps to new mothers. It also loaned over 6,000 beds with electrical systems to make it possible for the sick to leave hospitals and recover at home.
The organization was especially busy during Operation Protective Edge, enabling the disabled to wheel themselves quickly to protected areas, it said.
Some 6,000 volunteers provide services at branches around the country, including in many hospitals.
The organization provided nearly 20,000 emergency beepers to the sick and disabled living alone, and registered 35,000 calls for help. Its Nechonit vans for the wheelchair-bound made 100,000 trips, and workshop volunteers repaired 170,000 medical devices.