Several Israeli medical centers are thrusting their heads into the lion’s den – sending medical teams to the tortured and dangerous Ukraine to treat the sick and wounded. 

Next week, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer (Ramat Gan) – the country’s largest hospital, which is also considered one of the ten best in the world – will send a humanitarian medical team to Ukraine to set up a fully equipped field hospital with several divisions including pediatrics, maternity, an emergency room, and a primary care clinic.

Sheba director-general Prof.Yitshak Kreiss, who served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in various capacities for 25 years, achieving the rank of brigadier general and 11 years ago was surgeon-general of the IDF, said: “It is our personal and national responsibility to extend a helping hand to every human being, no matter who he is. We have the means and the ability, and we must not stand on the sidelines.”

With the assistance of Israel’s Foreign Ministry and Health Ministry, Sheba personnel will operate the field hospital along with Clalit Health Services (CHS, Israel’s most significant health maintenance organization) and medical staff from additional hospitals. The field hospital will also use advanced telemedicine technologies using doctors who remain in Israel. 

Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said: “We are performing our moral duty, increasing humanitarian aid and extending assistance to the Ukrainian people. We have already sent planes with many tons of medical equipment and medicines, and now we will also build a field hospital to assist refugees in the field. We will continue to help as much as necessary to save the lives of citizens whose world has been destroyed in an instant.” 

“As part of the emerging delegation to take care of refugees in Ukraine, Clalit Health Services took over the care of the children by the excellent staff of Schneider Hospital Children’s Medical Center in Petah Tikva,” said Ruth Ralbag, director-general of CHS. The Schneider team was immediately recruited, and additional medical teams will join the delegation according to the needs on the ground, she added. 

The team from Schneider, which CHS owns, l will leave for Ukraine in the coming days, accompanied by doctors from other Clalit hospitals. They will include about ten staff members who will be solely responsible for the children’s wards in the tent hospital. 

Schneider will also bring sick children from the Kyiv hospital to Israel if they cannot be treated in the field hospital. For this purpose, a particular flight of the children to Israel is planned in the coming days. 

Dr. Efrat Baron Harlev, director of the 30-year-old Schneider Children’s Medical Center, explained: “In recent days, Schneider has organized many teams to volunteer for this delegation. The delegation will go with equipment suitable for children of all ages and required to assist in all situations. We believe and know that children, wherever they are, are our future in Israel and around the world. Our team volunteered to help with all their strength to take care of the children of Ukraine for all their physical and emotional needs. We are proud to be part of this mission and hope for better days.” 

The team will help Ukrainian children with cystic fibrosis (CF). As part of the operation in cooperation with the CF Association, the hospital collected surplus drugs that patients’ families had sent to the Schneider’s pharmacy run by Yael Bernfeld. After approval, they will be sent to the field hospital. 

According to Dr. Dario Price, director of Schneider’s pulmonary medicine institute, “CF is a severe disease that affects many bodily systems and causes severe damage to the lung and pancreatic function, with the main damage being to the respiratory and digestive systems. It can cause the disease to progress rapidly. The drugs that patients will receive are life-saving medications, without which they would not survive.”

Israel365 is currently undergoing efforts to bring Jews trapped in Ukraine back to Israel. Please help by clicking on the image below.