After a decade of expectation

Following a delay of a difficult and stressful decade the new HYMC hospital ward was inaugurated this week. It is a modern, innovative and spacious building, which was approved back in 1996, so that we now have the capcity of hospitalizing a total of 495 patients.

The new building will accommodate most of the departments from the old building, which was built in 1980, 286 hospital beds, resulting in a significant improvement in patient care from the housing aspect – a basic requirement concerning all Israeli hospitals today. In doing so, we in Hillel Yaffe define a brand new additional hospital.

The departments and units being transferred are: Internal Medicine "A" and "B", Orthopedics "A" and "B", Surgery "A" and "B", ENT, Pediatrics and Emergency Pediatrics, Vascular Surgery, IVF, Emergency Gynecology, High-Risk Pregnancy, Women's Ultrasound, and Pediatric Surgery. In addition, 3 more operating rooms for Gynecology and Fertilization will be added to the already 7 existing OR's, expanding our operating program.

Besides the fact that all the departments / units will enjoy modern and fully technologically equipped rooms, the entire Pediatrics Ward will be transferred as well to one which includes a child-adapted concept, with a game patio, an advanced classroom, provided with an Internet connection, in addition to private hospital rooms. Emergency Pediatrics will also move to a new and improved location, closer to the department, divided into the various branches of required treatment – orthopedics, surgery and internal medicine.

Up until now the cost of the new building has been NIS180 million, while the internal medicine, surgery and orthopedic floors enjoyed a donation by the legal committee; for designing the Pediatrics ward, a donation of close to NIS1 million was given by the Israeli "Variety" Association. That said, most of the budget for the new building came from the Ministry of Health, together with a considerable investment made by HYMC itself.

The new building will allow expansion and renovation of existing departments, and the opening of Internal Medicine "D" (which will be proficient in the winter season), and will be able to provide care for oncology patients.

Dr. Meir Oren, Director-General of HYMC, stated, "The decision to begin transferring the departments to the new building at this time was largely ours. As soon as we received all the required confirmation we didn't linger even one minute; we understood there was no reason to wait until after the holidays. So much precious time was poured into the "Ramet Building Co." – time that caused suffering to both patients and staff. I am happy to say that with the opening of the new building, we can finally raise our heads with pride and say, not only do we stand at the top of technology, professional care and beneficial service, but it is within our ability to fully provide exceptional and hospitalization conditions that meet international standards. We are always attuned to our patients, but to our dismay, until today were forced to hear many complaints about the hospitalization conditions, due to the delay in relocation, without being able to provide the appropriate response, except, 'Please be patient!' From this day on, that is in the past. I would like to emphasize the fact that a number of years ago the Hillel Yaffe was the only medical center in the country that was allowed to expand its bed capacity - a well-known concern to those who are involved in the field of medicine, and about which we cry out in the media day after day. There were setbacks in the work done by the "Ramet Building Co." due to financial problems they experienced 5 years ago, which hindered our ability to give the best possible service that we would have liked to provide during the past years. But, as noted, beginning this week we guarantee a new and healthy world to the population of this area, that unites extensive esperience with professionalism as well as a relaxed atmosphere and an international standard of service and hospitalization.