TEL AVIV – Israeli telecom giant Bezeq announced Wednesday it was joining forces with the country’s ambulance service to convert thousands of public phone booths into defibrillator stations.
While the plan is still awaiting final approval from the Ministry of Communications, the phone company has already transformed a few defunct booths into neon yellow defibrillator stations.
“Public telephones have been a part of us but naturally with the advancement of technology they have become redundant, and we are happy they will be renewed,” Bezeq said in a statement.
“This move is also important in raising awareness as well as access to defibrillators and saving lives,” it added.
Defibrillators restore a normal heartbeat by sending an electric pulse or shock to the heart.
According to the company, in the event of cardiac arrest in the street, bystanders could potentially call the emergency services and be told the location of the nearest defibrillator booth and the code to open it so that they could administer immediate treatment before the arrival of paramedics.
The Magen David Adom emergency responder would then instruct the bystander via the phone on how to operate the device.
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