An Israeli medical delegation recently traveled to Germany to train staff at a major Berlin hospital on how to continue working in times of war, especially during missile attacks.
The training has been requested by the German government amid growing fears that the war in Ukraine will spill over into other parts of Europe. Berlin turned for help to Israel’s leading Sheba Medical Center.
The simulations set up during this training were based on the scenario of a possible strike on the German capital from Kaliningrad, a Russian western enclave bordering the Baltic States and Poland. Experts estimate that ballistic missiles based in the port city could reach Germany in five and a half minutes.
The training occurred at the Charité hospital in Berlin, the most prestigious capital, which employs 23,000 people and can accommodate thousands of patients. Dr. Yoel Har-Even, director of Sheba's international and resource development division who led the delegation, said that Germany's hospital infrastructure was completely unprepared for a military conflict because the country "hasn't faced security threats in 80 years."
"The German government is very worried about the possibility of the war in Ukraine spiraling out of control, and the certain ability of the Russians to attack the country," he confirmed.
The Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer near Tel Aviv is ranked at the top of the hospitals in Israel. It is also considered to be the most efficient in the whole of the Middle East. In 2020, it was even among the ten best hospitals in the world.