On Feb. 22, National Defibrillator Day, Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical services system, provided free hands-on training on how to respond to cardiac arrest and use an automated external defibrillator.
The initiative comes in response to new findings that highlight a significant gap between public awareness and practical preparedness, and follows ongoing MDA efforts, in cooperation with Mifal HaPais, Israel’s government-owned lottery company, to expand public access to defibrillators and encourage the registration of privately owned devices in MDA’s national registry.
A recent survey initiated by MDA and conducted by the Maagar Mochot Research Institute found that 63% of Israelis do not feel confident in their ability to use a defibrillator, and 62% report that they have never received training on the device. Despite this, public awareness remains high: 92% of respondents said they know what a defibrillator is, 96% understand its lifesaving importance, and among those who have not been trained, 86% expressed interest in learning how to use one.
According to MDA’s Medical Division, the majority of cardiac arrests in Israel occur at home, with additional cases taking place in medical facilities and public spaces. Survival from cardiac arrest without neurological damage currently stands at approximately 8%, but outcomes improve significantly when CPR and defibrillation are performed quickly.
MDA’s national emergency dispatch center, reachable by dialing 101, maintains a real-time registry of defibrillator locations and can direct callers to the nearest device while providing step-by-step CPR guidance over the phone. However, the survey found that 76% of Israelis are unaware that this registry exists.
“During a cardiac arrest, time is the most critical factor,” said Dr. Rafael Strugo, deputy director general of Medicine and Blood Services. “With every minute that passes without initiating CPR through chest compressions and without using a defibrillator, the chances of survival decrease significantly. At MDA, we are working to expand the deployment of defibrillators in public spaces, to register them in the national database, and to connect them to MDA’s 101 dispatch center so that bystanders can be directed to them in real time. At the same time, it is of tremendous importance to increase public awareness and knowledge regarding the use of the device when needed.”
National Defibrillator Day, established four years ago, includes hundreds of public training stations and awareness activities across Israel. In recent years, MDA—together with partners including Mifal HaPais, local authorities, the Association for Housing Culture, and Israel Railways—has installed thousands of defibrillators nationwide as part of a broader effort to increase survival rates from cardiac arrest.
