What are the ambulances for evacuating the deceased?
Ambulances for the evacuation of the deceased are special private ambulances that transport the deceased from the place of their death to the hospital.
In the event of death in a private house or nursing home, it’s customary to evacuate the deceased in a private ambulance to be placed in a cold store in a cemetery or hospital until the time of burial.
In the event of death on Saturday, the body is transported by ambulance to a cold store at the nearest hospital of the family’s choice. This is because funeral societies (Chevrot Kadisha) don’t work on Saturdays.
Private ambulance companies in Israel provide a wide range of services by high-class professionals in their cars.
The private ambulance industry in Israel has grown dramatically in recent years and is now staffed by various medical personnel such as doctors, professional nurses, and of course paramedics.
The cost of extensive medical services among private ambulance companies has dropped dramatically compared to the prices of Magen David Adom services.
Private ambulance services are essential and their availability is critical, and ordering a Magen David Adom ambulance isn’t necessarily ideal or affordable.
When it comes to using a private ambulance service, it’s important to have a long-term perspective since this service is usually permanent and therefore it’s very important to contact a professional and reliable organization.
Who are the ambulances for evacuating deceased intended for?
Ambulances for evacuating the deceased are intended to provide services for evacuating the deceased from homes and medical institutions.
Every citizen who dies in Israel receives a hospital evacuation service at the expense of National Insurance (Bituach Leumi) according to the following schedule:
Sunday to Thursday – from 16:00 onwards.
Friday – from 13:00 to Sunday morning.
The target audience of the National Insurance is the large population for which private ambulance companies have been established.
Comprehensive medical services are also provided to the next population:
- Victims of traffic accidents, including various accidents at work.
- Geriatric patients and the elderly.
- Patients with multiple chronic diseases.
- Patients in need of constant care, including those who are critically ill or have breathing problems.
- Medical protection within events with a large number of participants.
What is the importance of the ambulances for evacuating the deceased?
The importance of ambulances for evacuating the deceased is critical in the most difficult moments of life.
The process of transferring the deceased entails many tasks and arrangements, more than people even think about.
First, you need to find a company that provides ambulance services, including delivery directly to the hospital.
In a situation where a person dies in the home where he or she lives, or in any place other than a hospital, the details of the death time should be determined and documented by a qualified doctor. In addition, the doctor provides a death certificate in 3 copies.
This is a not simple and very important logistical process.
In which areas in the country can the ambulance services for evacuating the deceased be ordered?
Naturally, there are ambulance services for evacuating the deceased in many areas throughout Israel from the north to the south.
As part of these services, private ambulance companies allow interested parties to organize through them the orderly coordination of funerals with the funeral society, burial services for deceased non-Jews, the issuance of burial permits, and logistical procedures with the Ministry of Health, etc.
These services also operate in less populated border areas.
What services can be found in the ambulances for evacuating the deceased?
Ambulances for evacuating the deceased provide the following services:
- Transferring the deceased from place to place in favor of burial in cemeteries.
- Transportation of the deceased to the airport for burial abroad, including handling the documents at the airport.
- Transportation of the deceased from the airport for burial in the country.
The ambulance service costs may vary dynamically. They can range from 300 shekels and reach 2000 shekels. The final cost of the service depends on the distance traveled, the duration of the trip, in what time of the day the trip takes place (the morning or the evening), for which some companies can charge an extra cost, the type of the transportation, and the equipment that is used during the trip.
In general, it’s highly recommended to compare different price quotes to understand which is the most affordable option.
Some private ambulance companies offer discounted prices or subscriptions in cases where there is a need for permanent and long-term services, including transportation for frequent visits to clinics and institutions. It’s recommended to check with the health maintenance clinic in which cases the client is entitled to compensation or refund, and if the client has private insurance, he should check whether the policy includes participation in the private ambulance’s costs. Clients hospitalized due to such trips will be reimbursed at their health maintenance clinic, even if they were transported to the hospital by a private ambulance.
Why to choose the ambulance services for evacuating the deceased?
Ambulance services for evacuating the deceased assist the family in the difficult moments of overcoming the death of loved ones.
From the moment of death, the family has at its disposal the service of a private ambulance company, which provides the following services:
- Ambulance to transport the deceased to the cold store.
- Keeping the deceased in a cold store.
- Registration of documents and obtaining permission for burial.
- Production of necrologies.
- Announcement in newspapers.
- Performing lustration.
- Transportation of the patient to the cemetery for burial.
At the time of death, the family of the deceased should be occupied with mourning, and not with the evacuation of the deceased and the bureaucratic procedures associated with this event.
At the same time, it’s accepted that the family of the deceased, as well as the person who is entrusted with dealing with burial issues, will not be alone in the sense of being served by a private ambulance company.
They receive support and comprehensive assistance along with answers to all their questions, while these companies are under supervision, and thanks to their comprehensive services, this saves additional costs in burial issues.
