In light of the most recent war in the south of the country, the Israeli Government has ordered Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam) in Haifa, Israel, to prepare for every possible scenario, including a possible outbreak of hostilities in the north. This includes opening the -3 level of the world’s largest underground emergency hospital.
Rambam Health Care Campus is the designated care provider for most of the north and all soldiers and civilians injured in wartime in the region. The hospital is also home to the Sammy Ofer Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital, a three level, 2,000-bed facility designed for safe patient care under wartime conditions.
In light of current events and a terrorist-incited war that has so far left thousands wounded, hundreds dead, and at least 150 hostages, the Ministry of Health and the IDF Home Front Command have ordered Rambam to be prepared, should war break out in the north as well. The sound of planes passing overhead remind us – this is not a drill.
Several patients have already been transferred to Rambam from hospitals in the south of the country. Yesterday, October 9, another patient was received following a terrorist attack on the northern border.
Rambam’s dedicated multidisciplinary teams are currently preparing the -3 level of the underground hospital. The floor is being cleaned and emergency medical equipment such as ventilators and dialysis machines are being set up. Toilets are being plugged into the walls, showers set up, beds rolled into designated patient areas, and infrastructure such as supply lines, electricity, air conditioning and more, are being prepped. Setting up everything now will shorten the activation time should war erupt on the Northern border.
The -3 level, 16 meters underground, has room for 700 patient beds and is capable of generating its own power, water, oxygen and other supplies for three days – without interruption. Stairwells and elevators provide direct access to the above ground facilities, enabling the rapid transfer of patients and staff to a safe and secure location for treatments, therapies, and even surgery.
Beds set up in the fortified underground emergency hospital
Photography: Rambam HCC.
This is not the first time that the -3 level of the underground hospital has been used. It was first put to the test during the COVID-19 pandemic and became the largest coronavirus treatment facility in Israel.
Rambam’s experience and expertise has dramatically contributed to the body of knowledge related to trauma, emergency, and mass casualty situations. This has been translated into lifesaving results—Rambam is the only Level 1 trauma center in Northern Israel and its mortality rate for severe trauma patients is the lowest in the country. In the case of a mass casualty situation, the Sammy Ofer Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital is the designated provider for patients throughout Northern Israel, including war casualties, cancer patients in need of radiotherapy, and dialysis patients.
Rambam Health Care Campus is poised to support Israel’s security forces and provide patient care whenever necessary.