More than three months have passed since the beginning of the war in Gaza and the IDF has reported 3,220 wounded soldiers.
Official data published on Monday shows that in the Iron Swords War there is a dramatic decrease in the death rate of wounded soldiers compared to any previous war – including Operation Protective Edge and both Lebanon wars.
The mortality rate of wounded soldiers in the war in Gaza now stands at 6.7 percent – the lowest figure in the history of the IDF and in the world when, for comparison, in Operation Protective Edge the rate was 9.2 percent, and in the Second Lebanon War about 15 percent.
This is a decrease of more than two times. The reason that led to the decrease is the technological means for treatment in the field, such as the blood doses that are given immediately, and the large number of doctors and paramedics, among whom there are means for immediate treatment such as surgeons, anesthetics, and trauma devices.
According to the data, the average arrival time of a wounded person from the battlefield to the emergency room from the moment of injury is 1 hour and 6 minutes.
However, the IDF believes that if fighting expands in Lebanon against Hezbollah, it will be difficult to meet these medical standards.
The fact that Lebanon is a larger area that includes significantly greater distances, makes it difficult to fully cover snipers in the field, including the necessary medical equipment.
Also, the army estimates that the hospitals in the sector will be on standby, adding to the accumulated fatigue and burnout of medical teams from the last few months.
In the event of an escalation in the north, the IDF is considering establishing a field hospital in the area – which will have capabilities to perform complex life-saving treatments.
Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, about 9,000 soldiers have been treated for stress and have needed an appointment with a medical professional.
Of those 1,500 were found to have symptoms that required treatment of more than one meeting with a medical professional.
About 300 of them are defined as post-trauma patients, of which 75 percent have returned to activity in the units.
The IDF is planning to establish a mental health center. Plans and resources have already been approved. Since the beginning of the campaign in Gaza, more than 800 military mental health professional have been recruited, as there are only about 600 currently active in the IDF ranks.
IDF Chief Medical Officer, Brig. Gen. Professor Alon Glazberg, said, "We have set a high bar for ourselves in the fighting in Gaza, which will challenge us the combat in the northern arena. A combination of doctors and paramedics on the front line, creating evacuation and 'mobile intensive care units' on the battlefield, saves the lives of hundreds of wounded. This is the process of saving lives – from the point of injury, through the treatment by the medical teams in the field, evacuation in vehicles and helicopters to the hospitals – those who would not have survived in the past."
Republished with permission from All Israel News.