(Jerusalem Post) Yaakov Lappin - While the probability of a missile or terrorist attack on Israel involving unconventional weapons is very low, the threat cannot be dismissed. Under the shadow of these extreme and plentiful security threats - faced by no other population in the world - Israeli military and health officials have been quietly ensuring that hospitals in Israel will be able to cope with the worst-case scenarios. The safety system is ready to be activated at any moment, an invisible protective layer that, one must hope, will never be needed. The agency at the heart of preparations for the unthinkable is the Hospital Preparedness Branch (HPB), part of the medical department of the IDF's Home Front Command. All year-round, the HPB checks to see if Israel's 27 hospitals are ready for chemical, biological, or radiological attacks, as well as pandemics and earthquakes. Between 25 and 30 drills a year occur involving every imaginable scenario.
2013-05-03 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive