Defibrillators are being installed outside of lottery booths in hopes that laymen can help people in cardiac arrest.
The Israeli National Lottery (Mifal HaPais) has invested NIS 5 million to install defibrillators outside of 600 lottery booths throughout Israel to reduce deaths associated with cardiac arrest.
Defibrillators give an electric shock to the heart when people experience a cardiac incident. Studies have found that their immediate use, along with CPR, significantly increase the likelihood of patients regaining consciousness and also prevent deterioration that results from delays in treatment.
“[T]he goal of this initiative is to save lives,” Avigdor Itzhaky, chairperson of Mifal Hapayis, said, according to reports. “The deployment of defibrillators in the stands of Mifal Hapayis throughout the country could allow, in certain situations, immediate primary treatment in a public space and possibly in certain situations even save the lives of the sick from the most common cause of death in the country and around the world – heart failure.”
The devices will be available to the public, even when lottery booths are closed.
The defibrillators connect wirelessly to Magen David Adom (MDA) stations around the country. Passersby can call MDA and receive instructions on how to help people in distress until an MDA professional can be dispatched. The defibrillator also has audio instructions on the device that explain how to administer electric shocks to the patient.
Similar programs have proven successful in the US, Austria and France, among other countries.
“Mifal HaPais invests in Israeli society, and there is no greater social cause than to save lives,” Itzhaky said.
