Galilee Medical Center ( Hebrew המרכז הרפואי לגליל ) is an Israeli state medical complex located in the eastern part of the city of Nahariya . This is the largest hospital in the Galilee and the second largest in the north of the country (after the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa) [1] . Until 2012, the medical center was called the Hospital of Western Galilee in Nahariya .
| Galilee Medical Center Heb. המרכז הרפואי לגליל | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Profile | multidisciplinary |
| Established | |
| Specifications | |
| Beds | 722 |
| Site | gmc.org.il |
The medical center was opened in 1956, included a maternity and surgical ward and was designed for 40 beds. In the second decade of the 21st century, the hospital occupies 132 acres, of which 93 thousand square meters are built up.
The Galilee Medical Center was the first medical center in Israel equipped with an underground shelter-hospital, part of which also provides protection against chemical weapons [2] . During intensified shelling by Hezbollah in 2006, one of the missiles hit directly the surgical department of the hospital. Since 2007, the director of the Galilee Medical Center has been Dr. Masad Barhum.
History
The decision of the UN General Assembly to establish a Jewish state in Palestine left Western Galilee with its eight Jewish settlements outside the approved territory, and immediately after the declaration of independence of the State of Israel, Western Galilee fell into an Arab siege. Health problems were not in the national order of priorities (also because the population was relatively young and did not need special medical services). However, the birth problems were urgent, and after lifting the siege from Galilee, Dr. Beata Davidson-Abramov and Dr. Edmund Winfeld decided to create a maternity hospital in a boarding house on the coast of Nagariya. [3]
In 1950, Dr. Haim Shiba , who was the director general of the Israeli Ministry of Health , began looking for ways to create hospitals for every populated geographical area in Israel, and in 1952 a special budget was approved for the purchase of 10 caravans to create a hospital in Nahariya . But due to the state crisis and the change of ministers, the plan was rejected. [3]
In 1954, the Israeli Ministry of Health decided to establish a hospital for the treatment of returnees ( Hebrew מוסד לטיפול בעולים נחשלים , abbr. Hebrew מלב"ן Malben ). 9 barracks were built, and in this format the hospital existed until the beginning of 1960 years. [3]
In August 1957, the hospital faced financial difficulties, the surgical department was closed, and employees were dismissed [4] . After that, the Ministry of Health of Israel changed the format of the hospital services in Nahariya and turned it into a public hospital. The Malben departments were gradually reduced, and on June 10, 1962, the entire institution was transferred to the Ministry of Health. [3]
The hospital continued to develop and create additional departments, such as the department of neurology, urology, orthopedics, premature babies, child development, and many others.
In 1996, the Galilee Medical Center was the first and only one to receive certification from the Israel Institute of Standards ISO 9002. In 1995, the center was awarded the National Quality Award named after Yitzhak Rabin in the public sector (in the category “Healthcare Facilities”). In 1996, the Galilee Medical Center won first place in the contest "The Best Hospital in Israel." In 2009, he was awarded the Yitzhak Rabin National Quality Award for excellent process management in the Healthcare Institutions category. [3]
In 2000, under the leadership of the then director of the hospital, Professor Shaul Shashi, an underground shelter complex was built under the hospital. The underground complex proved itself in 2006 during the Second Lebanon War , when it was the hospital that received the greatest number of victims - 1,872 people (including civilians and IDF soldiers). More than 2800 missiles hit the city of Nahariya and its environs on July 28, 2006, one missile directly hit the hospital’s eye department and caused huge material damage. At the same time, thanks to the evacuation of patients to the underground protected complex, there were no new victims of these shellings in the hospital, the damaged departments were repaired and the hospital continued its work.
In early 2013, a neurosurgery department opened in the hospital, the first among hospitals in northern Israel. During the year, the sixth internal department and the second orthopedic department specializing in the spine were opened. In September 2013, an IVF department was opened, and the Oncology Department moved to a new building.
At the beginning of 2014, the name of the hospital with the approval of the Ministry of Health of Israel was changed from “ Hospital of the Western Galilee in Nahariya ” to “ Galilee Medical Center ”.
Notes
- ↑ שיבא - בית החולים הגדול בישראל . Maariv (May 7, 2007). Date of treatment July 5, 2018. (Hebrew)
- ↑ של המרכז הרפואי לגליל כרטיס ביקור unopened . Date of treatment July 4, 2018. (Hebrew)
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 לגליל היסטוריה של המרכז הרפואי . Date of treatment July 4, 2018. (Hebrew)
- ↑ בית החולים בנהריה ייסגר unopened . Davar (August 1, 1957). Date of treatment July 5, 2018. (Hebrew)