Since the arrival of the Coronavirus in Israel, MDA’s 101 Emergency Call Center has received tens of thousands of calls every day, compared to the usual 6,000 a day. The Magen David Adom manage and control system, which was developed within the organization, makes it possible to best handle the heavy load.
In addition to the dozens of positions operating routinely, more than 200 telephone cubicles have been added at 101 Call Centers across the country to help answer inquiries regarding the Corona. 100 of which have been placed in a special tent set up at the Magen David Adom National Call Center in Kiryat Ono. This was done in order to continue providing fast and professional service, and to continue to answer every citizen calling MDA’s 101 Emergency Call Center within a few seconds, in both routine calls and those pertaining to Corona.
MDA’s technology also deals with the Coronavirus in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, which is very crucial in the fight against the spread of the virus in Israel. The district physicians of the ministry, are the ones who decide who requires examination. Therefore, it is important that they have access to the app, in order that they can receive the medical information from the Call Center straight to their mobile phone in a simple, effective and safe way.
Magen David Adom has also put together a digital questionnaire and a corona-related Q&A, all within the “My MDA” widget (app). By answering the questionnaire, every citizen can understand what the correct guidelines are for him, and how he should behave and act regarding the Coronavirus. The computerized questionnaire will ask various questions. Depending on the answers, the app automatically directs the caller to the MDA 101 Call Center, or alternatively, to continue his daily routine.
MDA Chief Information Officer, Ido Rosenblat: “MDA’s 101 Emergency Call Center is always prepared to deal with a variety of scenarios, and takes various other measures when there is an increased load directed at the MDA call center, and the MDA teams. Many employees and volunteers at Magen David Adom, including the technology personnel of the organization, have been recruited in recent weeks, and have worked full days to continue to provide the best possible response to every citizen, whether regarding the Coronavirus or routine cases, including road accidents, various injuries and illnesses.”
MDA Director General Eli Bin: “The activities of Magen David Adom, as Israel’s national EMS organization, routinely and in emergency states, are based on the capabilities of our employees and volunteers and their experience and education. Maintaining professionalism and the best response to all, even now, in this busy time, is possible only because of the dedication of our thousands of highly qualified employees and volunteers, and our advanced technology founded within the organization. I thank every MDA employee and volunteer, and all the vendors who have joined in to assist us with all professional needs stemming from the increase in MDA Call Center operations across the country.”