PHOTOS: Magen David Adom Receives The National Award For Quality And Excellence In The Public Sector

(PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

On Wednesday, 18 Tammuz, Magen David Adom received the National Award for Quality and Excellence in the Public Sector named after Yitzhak Rabin. The supreme judicial committee headed by honorable former District Court Judge Ezra Kama, has decided to grant Magen David Adom two stars of organizational excellence in the Gold category. The award was granted to MDA, among other things, for its level of quality and excellence in emergency medicine, its quality emergency response, rapid response times, the level and spread of its teams, its technological capabilities and unique volunteer method developed and implemented within MDA for decades.

At MDA, Israel’s national EMS, there are roughly 30,000 first aid providers, EMTs, paramedics, doctors and Life Guardians, over 7000 of whom are youth volunteers. The fleet numbers 1000 ambulances and mobile intensive care units, 500 Medi-Cycles, two helicopters, jeeps and designated rescue vehicles. Every year MDA responds to hundreds of thousands of emergencies using state of the art, technologically advanced medical gear. The organization also provides humanitarian aid in Israel and abroad as part of its association to the International Red Cross Movement.

The award was granted to MDA in a special ceremony which took place in the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem in the attendance of Substitute State Service Commissioner, Mr. Udi Prawer, Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Committee, Honorable Former Judge Ezra Kama, Prize Director, Mr. Doron Shohat, Chairman of the Award Committee, Mr. Eitan Sharon, Chairman of the Israeli Quality Association, Dr. Sigalit Modhi, Government ministries, 11 award-winning organizations, and more.

Following the speech of MDA’s Director General, Eli Bin, in an especially emotional moment that drew a standing ovation, Bin invited Motke Wiesel to the stage. Wiesel is an 88-year-old holocaust survivor and a hero who fought against the SS. He is one of MDA’s oldest employees and acts today as the Chairman of the Nazi Prisoners’ Organization in Jerusalem. Accompanied by two youth volunteers, Yetti Atalo and Tamar Duphor-Dror, Wiesel was handed the award by Bin who added: “It is thanks to you that we excel.”

MDA Director General, Eli Bin: “In order to save lives we are required to train the best professionals, acquire the best equipment, deal with complex technological challenges and comply with the highest managerial standards in the world. We received this award of excellence thanks to one big soul, our employees and volunteers. They are the vivid spirit, the human factor without which there is no value to innovation and technology. These dozens of thousands of employees are those who make this organization excellent. I would like to thank the Civil Service Commission, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Israeli Association for Quality and the Prime Minister for the National Award for Quality and Excellence.”