One cannot help noticing the Magen David Adom has paid for advertising slots on chareidi radio stations for today’s Lag B’Omer events in Meron. This is quite a unique move by a state agency responsible for responding to emergency calls.
In a most unusual and perhaps unprecedented move, MDA is telling the public that it is present in Meron at the tziyun and medics are deployed in the area to respond to emergency calls. The ads make mention of a helicopter deployed in the area as well.
Quite a bizarre media campaign considering the nation’s MDA Law compels the official emergency medical service to respond to ‘101’ calls, Israel’s medical 911 number. Nevertheless, in the shadow of significant negative press against the organization from the recent state comptroller’s report coupled with allegations of unauthorized billing and other mismanagement, MDA is trying to purify its image with radio ads. Additionally, this is the first year that MDA is out in force at Kever Rashbi, a task that was fulfilled in the past almost exclusively by the other organizations, primarily Ichud Hatzalah.
As it becomes increasingly obvious to all but MDA that Ichud Hatzalah is rapidly replacing the ailing MDA EMS, the latter this year had deployed a sizable force of vehicles and manpower to make a noticeable presence and to make sure we do not miss this, the fiscally ailing EMS has spent donor funds for paid radio ads.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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8 Responses
In most countries, there is no competition for emergency medical services. It will be interesting to see if competition improves services in other ways.
There is politics between all 3 EMS organzations, instead of saving lives, all 3 are spending time and budget on PR, this article is slanted agiast MDA rather than deal with the whole suituation as expexted from real journlism
(No spellchecker on blackberry)
“the fiscally ailing EMS has spent donor funds for paid radio ads”
Thats a low blow.
They are doing what any organization would do.
Need I tell you about a certain organization that advertises on YWN that spends millions of donor funds for ads – and reported a net loss- ?
This article appers to me as a paid negtive advertising aginst mda by some other org. And ywn as usual keeps presnitng us with slanted one sided news when it conme to ems in israel prhapps ywn is paid to report the news in that way????
It’s sad to see that Yeshiva World has abrogated its responsibility to readers to present factual news stories.
In the latest of its inaccurate articles about Magen David Adom, Yeshiva World writes that MDA spent donor dollars on paid radio ads to counter negative publicity the organization has received. In fact, the “ads” cost nothing, and were simply press alerts from MDA that the radio stations carried as part of their news coverage. And much of the negative reports MDA has had to contend with are pure fiction to start with.
On this very website, Yeshiva World has suggested that MDA doesn’t serve Judea and Samaria. The truth is that MDA has 14 emergency stations in Yesha, with more ambulances than it’s ever had there, a fact Yeshiva World reporters could have easily obtained. And Yeshiva World’s suggestion that MDA is being replaced by Ichud Hatzalah is ludicrous. Ichud Hatzalah provides a public service, but unless injured and sick Israelis are willing to be transported to the hospital on the back of a motorbike, MDA will always be Israel’s national emergency medical response organization.
I’m looking forward to more balanced and accurate reporting from Yeshiva World in the future.
Rob Rosenthal
Chief Marketing Officer
American Friends of Magen David Adom
I have never seen an article on YWN stating that MDA doesn’t serve Judea & Samaria.
Just the facts that MDA sold out the Jews, and took their Magen David off the ambulances. Say it like it is. See below.
I would humbly request that YWN start publishing the articles about the massive corruption, and misuse of the funds…not to mention the huge amounts of oodles of missing money….
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=100598
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=113892
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=126147
Lies lies and more lies!!! Is there any responsibilty in the jewish media? Is there anybody to be held accountable? As one that was there this year I can peronally tell u that the streets were littered with papers from ichud hatzolah
In response to Ferd’s feelings that MDA sold out by taking the Magen David off its ambulances in Yehuda and Shomron…
All MDA ambulances in Israel have the MDA emblem on them, including those in Yehuda and Shomron. That emblem is only removed when, after several years, these ambulances are retired from the MDA fleet and leased to community ambulance corps, at which point they’re no longer operated by MDA. And that’s true not just in Yesha, but everywhere in Israel.
Moreover, even when these ambulances are leased to a community ambulance corps, the MDA logo is replaced with another variation of the Magen David, just not the one associated with MDA’s logo. So, it’s not like the Jewish Star is missing from any of these ambulances.
Photos of ambulances featuring the variations of the Magen David can be downloaded at (LINK REMOVED BY MODERATORS FOR INTERNET SECURITY REASONS).
There’s been a great deal of misinformation on this subject, so it’s not surprising that many people are unaware of this.
Rob Rosenthal
Chief Marketing Officer
American Friends of Magen David Adom