Soroka Medical Center has treated over 1,570 casualties, of them 170 in critical condition.
Dr. Shlomi Codish, Director General of Soroka Medical Center: "The teams at Soroka have dealt with mass casualty incidents in the past, but the recent conflict presented an unprecedented number of injured soldiers and civilians. The team was quick to respond to the changing needs of the situation, which included the opening of a new intensive care unit, an emergency surgery department, and gynecological operating rooms to provide medical attention to the wounded. Furthermore, they are preparing to open a new rehabilitation department to provide critical support to those who are recovering from war-related injuries".
It has been 30 days since the surprise attack by Hamas on Israeli territories, marking the beginning of the "Swords of Iron" war.
Soroka Medical Center management and the hospital's emergency headquarters team decided to activate a mass-casualty protocol and move unprotected wards to protected sites on the "Black Saturday" morning.
The life-saving array required the presence of hundreds of staff members from various sectors, including the trauma room, emergency department, operating rooms, intensive care units, hospitalization wards, and logistical support units. These employees played a crucial role in ensuring the smooth operation of the event.
During the first day of the war, more than 680 casualties were treated at Soroka, including over 130 in severe or critical condition, as well as anxiety victims
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The hospital doubled the number of beds in the trauma room, additional beds were added for intensive care, and obstetrics and gynecology operating rooms were activated, all in order to respond to the high number of casualties who arrived at the hospital non-stop.
All injured individuals who needed immediate life-saving surgery were prioritized and operated on right away. Following that, less urgent surgeries were also performed. Patients who were in stable condition and could be transferred to other hospitals were promptly relocated on the first night to free up space for additional wounded individuals from the area.
During the initial hours, a large number of casualties were admitted to different departments of the hospital. These included general intensive care, internal intensive care, orthopedics, general surgery, vascular surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, plastic surgery, neurosurgery, ENT, ophthalmology, pediatric intensive care, pediatric surgery, and internal medicine departments.
The day after the war began, daycare centers opened for workers' children, allowing parents to go arrive to work.\
Over the last month, the hospital has conducted hundreds of surgeries and medical procedures for both military personnel and civilians injured in the war, with dozens of helicopters landing on its helipad.
At the Saban Birth and Maternity Center, more than 1,480 babies were born.\
Soroka has not been exempted from terrible tragedies. Staff members coping with injuries, absences, and loss of family members. We lost two doctors, two retired personnel and family members of workers, and a nurse kidnapped by Hamas.
Our mental health team and social work staff support the wounded and their families, while the hospital's resilience team assists employees in various sectors.
In the past month, numerous visitors have come to the hospital to show their support for the teams, the wounded, and their families.
The visitors included the President, Isaac "Bougie" Herzog, the Chairman of the Clalit Board of Directors, Maj. Gen. (res.) Yohanan Locker, the CEO of Clalit, Eli Cohen, ministers, members of the Knesset, international delegations, and many artists. Their presence helped to strengthen the hands of the staff and provide comfort to the injured.\
Many media teams from Israel and around the world were present at the hospital and documented Soroka's "war story" from different angles.
Dr. Shlomi Codish, Director General of Soroka Medical Center: "It has been a month since the "Black Saturday" marked the beginning of the "Swords of Iron" war. This incident was the largest in terms of mass casualties in the history of the State of Israel, certainly in a single hospital. The Soroka teams, who are well-experienced in handling mass-casualty incidents, faced an unprecedented number of casualties. We responded to the situation by opening an additional intensive care unit, an emergency surgery department, and OBGYN operating rooms for the wounded.
To address the rehabilitation needs of the war casualties, we are opening an additional rehabilitation department in the coming days.
Since the beginning of the ground entrance to Gaza, we have mainly treated soldiers injured on the battlefield, with the majority of them being directed to Soroka to receive life-saving treatments. Our preparations for various scenarios and the continuation of fighting continue.\
Dr. Codish adds: "I would like to express my gratitude to all hospital employees across all sectors and from all of the Israeli society sectors for their heroic efforts and teamwork in providing care. I would also like to extend my support to the families standing by their side. Together, we will continue our important mission to save and care for the health of the residents of Negev, IDF soldiers, and the entire country".
A link to a short video about our work in the past month
