Jerusalem – A historic agreement has been signed between United Hatzalah and Magen David Adom (MDA), THursday evening, ending years of acrimony between the two lifesaving organizations. The key points in the agreement are that while both will maintain their organizational independence there will now be full operational cooperation and all information regarding emergency calls will be shared in real-time with emergency responders in the field. Eli Beer, President of United Hatzalah declared “This is a win-win-win situation. Both vital lifesaving organizations will now have enhanced operational capacity and the biggest winner will be the People of Israel who will be able to benefit from rapid response of United Hatzalah first responders and the comprehensive ambulance service of MDA.”

Mr. Beer had warm words of praise for former deputy health minister Yaakov Litzman and current Health Minister MK Yael German and Director General Ronny Gamzu for their untiring efforts to bring an equitable resolution to the dispute between the two organizations. The Ministry of Health will continue to oversee and certify the ongoing functioning of the organizations as well as the recently signed agreement. Eli Bin, General Manager of MDA has pledged to respect the operational independence of United Hatzalah. MDA will work with United Hatzalah to establish a unified standard of training, equipment and communication to ensure that the People of Israel can receive the highest level of care in the fastest possible time.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)