Health Ministry Details Copenhagen Presentation of Soroka’s October 7 Response

Israel’s Health Ministry released an account on October 29 of a Copenhagen presentation about Soroka Medical Center’s response to the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. The event took place on October 28 alongside the World Health Organization’s Regional Committee for Europe, bringing Israeli emergency-care experience before international healthcare leaders, medical professionals, WHO representatives and diplomats. The ministry said it organized the initiative with the Foreign Ministry, Israel’s embassy in Denmark and Soroka. The hospital, part of Clalit Health Services, treated hundreds of wounded people during the first day of the attacks. Participants watched a shortened version of The Shift, a documentary drawing on hospital security-camera footage and testimony from the medical staff who treated the wounded. Health Ministry Director General Moshe Bar Siman Tov emphasized preparation, coordination between hospitals and decisions made under pressure. “Professionalism also saved lives,” he said. The discussion covered emergency-department and operating-room capacity, patient transfers, readiness for additional casualties and the need to keep national healthcare services functioning. Israel’s ambassador to Denmark, Zvi Tal, described emergency preparedness as a combination of clinical judgment, leadership, staff resilience and cooperation across hospitals, emergency services, the military, public-health authorities and community organizations. WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr. Hans Kluge also addressed participants, describing his visits to Israel and the war’s effects on physical and mental health.