MDA: 'Ichud' paramedic reported death, we saved. 'Ichud': P.R campaign

Did the competition between the competing rescue organizations almost take the life of a Bnei Brak resident?

On Wednesday morning, close to 7:30am, a report was received at the MDA center about suicide and fear for human life on Jabotinsky street in Bnei Brak.

An Ichud Hatzala volunteer who arrived, found a man hung on a rope which was tied to a bar in the living room. His wife who arrived in the morning, told the paramedic and police forces who arrived on the scene, that at about 3:00am she had last contact with him, and seemingly he is already dead. The paramedic reported on the beeper that this is a death and there is no need for additional paramedics.

Another paramedic of Ichud Hatzala arrived, and together with the MDA ambulance driver, they both went up to the apartment in which the man was hanging.
What happened from then on? There are different versions.

According to the MDA spokesman, Zachi Heller, the ambulance driver of MDA decided to start resuscitation, at the end of which the patient was evacuated to hospital with a pulse. According to another source, the one who decided to start resuscitation was actually the Ichud Hatzala paramedic, who arrived with the ambulance.

According to MDA, when the MDA ambulance driver, Yehuda Chachmon, arrived on the scene, the volunteer of the 'Hatzala Mehira' unit of Zaka, the policeman told him that "there's no need to go up to the apartment". But Chachmon went up, took the person down from the rope, and started performing long resuscitation efforts, until the IC ambulance arrived. And indeed, a few minutes later, the resuscitation efforts succeeded, the pulse and respiration returned, and he was evacuated to hospital alive and breathing.

Ichud Hatzala: an MDA PR campaign

But from details which reached Behadrey Hareidim, quite a different picture arises.
The Ichud Hatzala paramedic who came together with the MDA ambulance, went up to the apartment with the ambulance driver, where they noticed a man hanging on a rope in his living room. The ambulance driver, who serves as a MDA paramedic, debated for a moment, and only after the Ichud Hatzala paramedic who came with him told him that the body of the person is still warm – they both took him down from the rope and started performing resuscitation.

At this stage, the MDA paramedic connected a defibrillator which instructed to continue resuscitation, but not to give shocks. After 7 minutes the MDA Intensive Care ambulance arrived. The paramedic connected a monitor which showed asystolla (the electric system of the heart does not produce or pass electric signals, without pulse or respiration) and only after medications did the pulse return, and the patient was evacuated in a serious condition to the Beilinson hospital in Petah Tikva.

The ambulance driver, Yehuda Chachmon, said in a talk with Behadrey Hareidim: "When I arrived on the scene, three on-call paramedics from a different organization told me that this is definite death, but since this was a first resuscitation for me as an ambulance driver, I decided to start resuscitation."

"Didn't you doubt whether to start resuscitation, and only after the Ichud Hatzala paramedic who came with you, told you that the man's body is warm, decided to start?"
"No, I don't remember he said that. In any case I would have started resuscitation, even just for the protocol".

Zachi Heller, the MDA spokesman said that the Ichud Hatzala paramedic who reported certain death, was removed previously from the position of paramedic in MDA as a result of professional problems.

It was reported from Ichud Hatzala in response to Behadrey Hareidim: "The Ichud Hatzala organization treats tens of thousands of life saving cases a year, in accordance with the instructions of the medical department and the best of professionals in emergency medicine. We will continue to do so for many years.
"The paramedic arrived this morning for a call about a person who was found hung, and updated that the man is probably lifeless. Immediately afterwards, within a short while, when other MDA and Ichud Hatzala on call paramedics arrived, successful resuscitation was performed.

"This is a PR campaign, and a vain attempt of MDA to perpetuate their monopoly on account of life saving. This comes as a result of the pressure under which MDA is found, because of the conclusions of a committee which the Ministry of Health founded, which are destined to soon be published. The concerned case will be checked by a professional committee.

The medical department in Ichud Hatzala headed by Prof. Avi Rivkind, decided to suspend the volunteer from activity until the completion of the committee".
Ichud Hatzala reminds that three years ago an MDA doctor determined the death of an 84 year old man in Ramat Gan, but afterwards successful resuscitation as performed on him.

MDA responds that they have opened an inquiry of the case in which Ichud Hatzala paramedics did not act professionally and did not start resuscitation as necessary, and at the end of the inquiry a complaint will be placed at the Ministry of Health.
MDA also claim that the ambulance driver, Yehuda Chachmon, received threats that he should stop denouncing the competing organization. A report was transferred to the security officer of MDA.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!