With changing medical needs and amid the ongoing war, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) decided to restructure its medical force. This year, the Medical Corps trained a record number of 63 paramedics during their regular service. These soldiers will be stationed in all regular field units, primarily in maneuvering forces. The decision to make this change was made to alleviate the burden on the shoulders of reserve paramedics.
During the war, the Medical Corps demonstrated amazing operational capabilities that impressed Western military medical systems. As a result, delegations from NATO medical corps, as well as medical delegations from the U.S. and German armies, came to Israel.
Treatment of Wounded on the Battlefield
The IDF has completely transformed its approach to treating the wounded on the battlefield. First, it attached a medical team of combat medics led by a senior caregiver, who is either a doctor or a paramedic. Second, the IDF introduced a protocol for fluid administration, which includes administering blood and dry plasma infusions on the battlefield by the first medical teams that reach the wounded. The IDF is the only army in the world that provides such treatment on the battlefield. This procedure started as a trial in the Judea and Samaria Division and during the war became part of the treatment protocol across the entire military array in the war on the Gaza front and the northern front. Thanks to this treatment, many lives were saved.
Wounded Evacuation Method
Another significant change, conducted on a large scale and for the first time in this war, is in the method of evacuating the wounded. The IDF succeeded in significantly reducing evacuation time, eliminating the need for bureaucracy and treatment stages such as the field clinic, and using fast vehicles to evacuate the wounded, in addition to the medical units at the front. These vehicles immediately enter combat zones and evacuate the wounded to the rear, alongside the evacuation system of the 669 Air Force Unit.
“No wounded person who could have been saved was not saved,” says Captain Gidi Chuli, commander of the IDF’s paramedic course.
Investment in Training
The IDF paramedic course is the longest in the Medical Corps. Under normal circumstances, the training program lasts over a year and three months. However, due to the war and the need for more paramedics in combat units, the IDF shortened it to a year and two months. A significant portion of the course participants were required to return to fighting in the Gaza envelope and later in the maneuvering in Gaza, just like part of the course’s command staff, who were also required to fight in the north and in Gaza. Due to the shortened timeline, the course participants had to extend their study and practice hours each day to cover the required material.
The IDF states that the course, which concluded this week with a paramedic shoulder mark ceremony at the parade ground of Bahad 10, represents a significant reinforcement for the IDF’s medical system.
“The paramedics are part of the combat and maneuvering force. Increasing the number of regular paramedics within the combat units significantly strengthens each unit. The soldiers and commanders understand that the paramedics, like the combat medics, are an integral part of the combat force. The presence of a senior medical caregiver enhances the resilience of every soldier in a combat team,” according to the Medical Corps.
