Bringing PT-CT care to our doorstep to save lives

Last week, Friends of Hillel Yaffe Medical Center held the first event to raise funds for the establishment of the PET-CT Institute. The event, which is the first in a series being planned by the organization, was hosted by Rafi and Dafna Dahan in Caesarea. They opened their home to promote this important cause. Businesspeople, entrepreneurs and leading economic figures participated in the event, where they learned firsthand about this project, which is essential for the region’s residents.

Hillel Yaffe Medical Center has already received approval from the Ministry of Health to establish a PT-CT Institute, including its construction and purchase of an advanced device. This is a vital and life-saving examination for patients, particularly cancer patients. It is necessary both for diagnosing the disease, monitoring effectiveness of treatment and after treatment is completed, monitoring disease recurrence. The cost of construction and purchasing is very high and is estimated at NIS 27 million. Upon receipt of the license to operate a PET-CT scanner from the Ministry of Health several months ago, the hospital began working to secure the resources necessary to build the unique space and acquire the PET-CT itself, with the intention of launching the essential service by the end of 2025.

From left to right: Hillel Yaffe's Administrative Director, Rafi Koren; hosts of the event, Dafna and Rafi Dahan; Prof. Mickey Dudkiewicz, Director General of Hillel Yaffe Medical Center; Moshe Morag, Friends of Hillel Yaffe Medical Center Chairman; Businessman Lior Bar, Caesarea Local Committee Chairman

Prof. Mickey Dudkiewicz, Director General of Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, said, “The hospital does not have a PET-CT Institute, and there actually aren’t any between Tel Aviv and Haifa. Our patients are forced to wait a long time for the scan, travel long distances, sometimes in the middle of the night, in order to undergo a life-saving examination. In 2024 alone, we treated 11,000 cancer patients, and the number grows each year. Keep in mind that these are complex patients who have difficulty with mobility, and we are committed to doing everything in our power to make things easier for them and improve their odds of recovery.”

Chairman of Friends of Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, Moshe Morag, said, “Friends of Hillel Yaffe Medical Center is dedicated to working to promote HYMC and contribute to its patients. The hospital administration has shared the importance and need to provide oncology patients with everything necessary for their recovery, at the same facility where they receive treatment, with maximum availability and close to home. Our organization has taken up this cause and over the coming year will hold several events to promote this important project. I would like to thank Dafna and Rafi Dahan for hosting the first event in this series.”