The headlines about the Middle East emphasize the conflict. But the day-to-day reality is sometimes surprisingly different. A first aid course for Palestinian paramedics and ambulance drivers organized by Israels Magen David Adom (Red Star of David) and the Palestinian Authority is one example.
by Simon Griver
Moussa, a Palestinian ambulance driver, never fully realized that the moments when he arrives on the scene of an emergency are the most crucial in deciding whether a patient will live or die. "We had previously been taught that our priority was to get the patient to hospital as quickly as possible," explains Moussa, who works in El Bira, a town located in an area under the Palestinian Authority, "so that the doctors could take care of him. I didnt realize there was so much that I could do to help."
Moussa was one of 26 Palestinian ambulance drivers and paramedics who recently took a course in first aid organized by Israels Magen David Adom ambulance service. The three-week course, held at Jerusalems Holyland Hotel, was sponsored in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority and the International Red Crescent.
"The Palestinian participants in the course," clarifies Igal Aviad, a senior instructor in first aid at Magen David Adom, who taught the course, "may have conflicting political views with their Jewish counterparts. But on one thing we are all agreed, regardless of whether we drive an ambulance with a Red Star of David or a Red Crescent on the outside: that the humanitarian task of saving lives is sacred."
Mr. Aviad observes that the Palestinian Authoritys Minister of Health, Dr. Fathi Arafat, the brother of Yasser Arafat, gave his personal blessing for the course to go ahead.
Magen David Adom and the Red Crescent are the Jewish and Moslem equivalents of the Red Cross. Magen David Adom, Israels national emergency medical service, provides a network of first aid stations, a countrywide blood donor program, blood banks and a public ambulance service, which includes intensive care units and first aid courses. The organization functions with the help of 5,000 volunteers and has 44 branches throughout the country.
"There is daily cooperation between the Palestinian Red Crescent and the Israeli Magen David Adom," explains Mr. Aviad. "Frequently an Israeli ambulance will pass the scene of an accident and treat Palestinians and will then notify the Red Crescent and wait until their ambulance arrives. And Palestinian ambulances will treat Israeli soldiers who have been injured in a car accident. I think the motive of all medical professionals is to save lives regardless of other differences."
The three-week course included 100 hours of tuition and focused on aid that ambulance drivers can administer at the scene of an accident; artificial respiration; and how to best move an injured or sick person. The course also teaches about modestly priced equipment that can be used at the scene of an accident and in the ambulance itself.
Hatem, a paramedic in an ambulance crew in Jericho, was impressed by the equipment available to ambulances. "Now that I know what is available, my immediate aim is to prepare the necessary papers and submit a project to an international aid agency for properly equipping an ambulance."
"Unfortunately many ambulance services still have a scoop-and-run attitude," says Mr. Aviad. "They try to get the patient to hospital as quickly as possible. This is important, but there is so much that can be done at the scene of the accident and en route to the hospital."
Mr. Aviad, who speaks fluent Arabic, has been giving courses to Palestinians for many years. In recent years he has taught similar courses to paramedics and ambulance drivers in Gaza, Bethlehem and Beit Jallah (near Jerusalem). He has also helped organize courses for Palestinian medical professionals in mother-and-child-care centers.
All 26 participants of the most recent course passed both the practical and theoretical exams given at the end of three weeks. Similar courses are planned for the coming years as part of the continuing cooperation program between the Israeli and Palestinian health authorities.