Israel sets up medical facility in the Philippines 12 Nov 2013
Israeli Missions Around The World MFA Press Room 2013 Israel sets up medical facility in the Philippines 12 Nov 2013

Israel sets up medical facility in the Philippines

  • 11/14/2013
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    An advanced medical facility, equipped with 100 tons of humanitarian and medical supplies from Israel, will be established in the city of Bogo in the northern province of Cebu to provide medical care for disaster casualties.
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    Israeli medical facility is opened in Bogo, Philippines Israeli medical facility is opened in Bogo, Philippines Copyright: MFA
     
     
    An Israeli delegation of experts in the fields of search, rescue and medicine left on Sunday night (10 November) for the Philippines, which was struck by a natural disaster earlier today. The rescuers are part of the IDF’s Home Front Command.

    A six-member advance team – four people from the IDF Home Front Command and two from the Foreign Ministry – was dispatched to evaluate what is needed on the ground before Israel sends a larger mission.

    The team landed in Manila and departed for Tacloban, where they performed a thorough situation assessment, including an infrastructure evaluation, to determine the best rapid response Israel can provide to the government and people of the Philippines.

    Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Menashe Bar-On delivers packages of medicines to the Province of Cebu
    Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines     Menashe Bar-On delivers packages of medicines to the Province of Cebu
    Copyright: Israel Embassy, Manila


    Update:

    Israeli aid teams dispatched to the Philippines
      Israeli aid teams dispatched to the Philippines
      Copyright: MFA

    A 147 member delegation left for the Philippines on Wednesday, November 13, 2013. Following assessment, it was decided to locate the medical facility in Bogo, in the northern province of Cebu. While headlines have mostly focused on chaos in and around Tacloban City, the typhoon also left a trail of violent destruction on Cebu Island, where the most basic of necessities are lacking. Provincial officials say as many as 90 percent of buildings on the north of Cebu were badly damaged by winds and rain, which also flattened crops, downed power lines and blocked roads.

    Two Israeli planes carrying personnel and equipment have landed in Cebu. The medical teams are en route to Bogo, and the equipment is being unloaded for transfer by 30 trucks.

    An advanced multi-department medical facility, equipped with approximately 100 tons of humanitarian and medical supplies from Israel, will be rapidly established to provide medical care for disaster casualties, operated by IDF doctors, nurses, paramedics, pharmacists, mental health professionals, x-ray technician, and lab workers.

    The delegation comprises members of the National Search and Rescue Unit of the Home Front Command headed by the unit commander, Colonel Ramtin Sabti, as well as senior doctors in the IDF Medical Corps, headed by the Vice Surgeon General of the IDF Medical Corps, Colonel Doctor Dudu Dagan.

    IDF delegation for Philippines at Ben Gurion Airport
      IDF delegation to the Philippines at Ben Gurion Airport
      Copyright: IDF Spokesperson


      Israeli airplane carrying aid and medical team arrives in Philippines
      Copyright: Israel Embassy, Manila


    Video: Senior officials from Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Israel Defense Forces are in the area surveying the damage. An aerial shot gives a view of the current state of the area.
     
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    President Shimon Peres wrote to Philippine President Benigno     Aquino:

    "Your Excellency,
    In my name and on behalf of the people of Israel, I wish to extend out deepest condolences to the people of the Philippines affected by the shocking devastation in the trail of Typhoon Haiyan. Our hearts go out to the families who have lost their loved ones in this terrible natural disaster, and our prayers are with you and your people in this time of mourning and hardship.
    We are following with much concern the horrifying effects of the storm and hope that the aid provided by the State of Israel will help ease the suffering of the people of the Philippines.
    From Jerusalem, we wish you strength and fortitude."

    Prime Minister Netanyahu also sent a letter to President Aquino:

    "On behalf of the government and people of Israel, I extend heartfeldt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives as a result of the horrific typhoon, and I send best wishes for a speedy recovery to those who were injured.
    I hope that Israel's assistance will help alleviate the suffering of those affected by this terrible disaster.
    Our thoughts and prayers are with you and the Filipino people at this difficult time."

    Israel has frequently offered aid in the wake of disasters overseas, such as the earthquake in Haiti in January 2010 and an earthquake in Turkey in 2011.

    The IsraAID humanitarian organization also sent a team of seven medical professionals to Tacloban City in the storm-ravaged Philippines to provide critical health interventions in the affected region. IsraAID, too, will continue to assess needs in the field and offer aid accordingly, including trauma professionals and child protection specialists.