Why should I pay for Israel’s ambulance service?
The short answer is – you shouldn’t.
Or at least no more than you’d expect to personally fund any other essential service that should be provided by the state. But like most public services, the difference between a good service and a great one often comes down to community and charitable support.
Still – isn’t emergency healthcare a government responsibility? We don’t pay for ambulances here in NSW, so why should we support them in Israel? That’s not entirely true. While NSW Ambulance is government-funded, plenty of vital emergency services in Australia rely on charitable donations.
Take St John Ambulance for example – they raise millions each year across Australia to train volunteers, deliver first aid in schools, support public events, and respond in times of crisis. Or the Royal Flying Doctor Service, which receives significant philanthropic support to bring lifesaving care to remote communities.
In other words: essential services are often powered by generosity. And in Israel, it’s no different. Magen David Adom is Israel’s national emergency service – but it’s not fully government funded. It relies on donors around the world to help provide ambulances, train medics, and save lives.
Because when it comes to emergency response, good enough isn’t good enough.
Fine. So why don’t they Israelis pay for it? Why do they need us to give too?
Good question. When Israel was established, it depended upon global Jewish philanthropy for pretty much everything. Infrastructure, the army and even El Al were funded by Zionists from across the world.
Therefore it made sense that the ambulance service was too. After all, there was no state, no taxes, no healthcare system. It had to start somewhere…
In fact, Magen David Adom’s existence pre-dated the State by 18 years. So, when Israel was established it inherited a functioning emergency medical service, one that the Knesset mandated in 1950 to be the only, official national provider in Israel. You might have heard of other organisations, such as Hatzalah, that provide a localised first-responder service, but only MDA is completely national. Dial 101 and you get through to MDA – no one else.
Yes, but that was then, Israel’s changed a lot in the past eight decades. They don’t need our financial support, do they?
To some extent that’s right. Israel has a thriving economy with many millionaires and billionaires, which is why many of Magen David Adom’s major initiatives, such as the new National Blood & Logistics Centre in Ramla, are delivered as joint capital projects between donors in Australia, the UK and USA, together with Israeli philanthropists. On top of that, Israelis give their time, 5 million hours a year at no cost whatsoever. More Israelis volunteer for MDA than for any other organisation in Israel. 90% of the workforce are volunteers, and MDA would not be able to save lives without them.
Blood Centre? What’s blood got to do with it?
Magen David Adom is not just a network of ambulances and ambulance stations that cover the length and breadth of Israel. Did you know that MDA is also responsible for collecting and delivering almost every drop of blood in Israel (and 100% of all blood units required by the IDF)? Or all First Aid training? Or that it is the country’s largest volunteer organisation? Or that it provides food parcels to the poor at Rosh Hashanah and Pesach. In fact, Magen David Adom provides services and resources that it simply could not afford to do if it were a government run agency.
Are you telling me that MDA is a better service because it is non-governmental?
Absolutely. Free from the bureaucracy of government, the leadership of MDA is able to focus on saving lives. That’s why, after the IDF, MDA is the second most trusted brand in Israel and a recipient of the highly prestigious Yitzhak Rabin award for national quality and service. Its independence and autonomy means that it can be a member of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and take its lifesaving experience and expertise to countries around the world, some of which don’t even recognise the State of Israel.
So Magen David Adom is actually providing good PR for Israel?
Great PR. Do you remember the baby in Haiti who was named Israel because he was delivered by an Israeli paramedic? Sadly, Israel has had to develop one of the best emergency response services in the world and that resource is put to good use.
What’s that suppose to mean?
Living under the threat of war, nuclear destruction and ongoing terror requires a medical emergency service that is ready for every eventuality. The challenges of being prepared in Israel, with its neighbours near and far, are very different to those of NSW Ambulance.
Are there additional costs as a result?
Yes, there are. Plenty of them. Armoured ambulances. Reinforced medical stations. Secure blood bank designed to withstand rocket attacks.
In Israel, these aren’t theoretical — they’re essential. And with over 6% of the country’s GDP going toward defence (compared to just over 2% in Australia), it’s easier to understand why Israel’s national ambulance service – Magen David Adom – still relies on global supporters to help fund the critical, life-saving work they do every day.
Because while the government funds defence, the job of saving lives under fire often falls to medics – and to the people who back them.
It sound like Magen David Adom is more that just an ordinary ambulance service…
That’s absolutely right.
It’s not your typical ambulance service like NSW Ambulance. Magen David Adom operates in a unique environment — one where medics don’t just respond to accidents or medical emergencies, but also to missile attacks, mass casualty events, and acts of terror.
It’s a frontline emergency service that also serves as Israel’s national blood bank, disaster response unit, and humanitarian aid provider.
With hostile borders and constant security threats, the operational and financial pressures on MDA are incomparable to what we experience in Australia. It’s an organisation that must be ready — always — to save lives in circumstances most of us couldn’t imagine.
But if that doesn’t convince you, one final thought…
Jewish people and communities have always looked to support Israel and to make Israel the best it can possibly be. Supporting Magen David Adom is a manifestation of this. A donation to MDA is a donation to the ultimate expression of Jewish ideals and values. A public service, in the Jewish State, that saves the lives of Arabs, Christians and Druze, male and female without ever asking about race, religion or gender. A life-saving service that makes Israel an even better country and serves as a beacon of light for Jews across the world.
Magen David Adom needs our support and we enhance our connection to Israel by supporting Magen David Adom.