Especially during this sensitive time, as the hostages return to Israel, MDA is expanding the “MDA Mental Health” service to the south to ensure that anyone requiring medical or psychological assistance receives it quickly and professionally.

MDA believes that in the future, this pilot will evolve into a comprehensive national service providing real support to every person in Israel. MDA Deputy Director General of Medicine, Dr. Rafael Strugo: “The new operational model was developed out of the understanding that there is a need to improve the response to mental health emergencies and suicide prevention in Israel. Such complex incidents may endanger both the patient and their surroundings.

Based on this understanding, MDA and the Ministry of Health created a special protocol that includes deploying a crisis intervention team, specially trained for these situations, accompanied by professional telemedicine support from a specialist psychiatrist.

This ensures the most appropriate and professional care while minimizing harm that can result from improper treatment in such cases. This new working model allows us to take another step forward in providing initial mental health care in life-threatening situations. I am confident that it will enable us to deliver better, more effective, and more comprehensive support during such critical moments, easing the burden on the patient, their family, and those around them.”