Establishment of a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center - illustration image

The Pediatric Department at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary system that includes a Pediatric Emergency Department, Pediatric Inpatient Department and outpatient pediatric clinics. The department is led by Prof. Adi Klein-Kremer, a specialist in pediatric emergency medicine, and serves a population of approx. 650,000 residents, of whom about 35% are children – significantly higher proportion than the national average.

In 2025, approx. 28,000 children were treated in the Pediatric Emergency Department,
and about 4,500 required hospitalization. The department provides advanced care across a wide range of specialties, including cardiology, hematology, surgery, nephrology, orthopedics, otolaryngology (ENT), gastroenterology, neurology, and developmental pediatrics.

The Need for a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Every day, children arrive at the hospital in complex and unstable medical conditions, including respiratory distress, post-operative complications, poisoning, or acute exacerbations of chronic diseases. These conditions require continuous monitoring, specialized equipment, and immediate clinical intervention, resources that are only available within a pediatric intensive care unit.

Currently, in the absence of a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), these children are treated in general pediatric wards that are not designed for critical care. These wards lack continuous intensive monitoring, dedicated life-support equipment, and the specialized infrastructure required to ensure optimal care, including advanced infection prevention standards.

In cases where a child’s condition deteriorates beyond what can be safely managed in the pediatric ward, transfer to another hospital with a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) becomes necessary. This process is complex and may increase the risk of clinical deterioration during transport - at times placing young lives in immediate danger.

In addition, the absence of a dedicated PICU limits the hospital’s ability to fully serve the large and growing population it supports:

Complex surgeries requiring post-operative intensive care cannot be performed.
Trauma cases are transferred to other medical centers.
Advanced medical services are available only on a limited basis.
Medical teams are diverted from caring for patients in the hospital to accompanying inter-hospital transfers.

In 2025 alone, more than 300 children with complex medical conditions were treated, of whom over 50 were transferred to other hospitals. Some cases were referred directly to other medical centers due to the absence of a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at the hospital.

Transforming Care – Establishing a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

In response to this urgent and growing need, it has been decided to establish a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit within the Pediatric Department. The unit will cover approx. 65 square meters and will include four intensive care beds, including a dedicated resuscitation bed,
a central nursing station, work and storage areas, and a controlled-access entrance for authorized staff only.

The PICU will be fully equipped with advanced monitoring, ventilation, and life-support systems, and will be built according to strict infection prevention and patient safety standards.

The establishment of the PICU is a critical step forward for children, families,
and healthcare teams, and will enable:

Immediate, high-quality care for critically ill children.
A significant reduction in the need for transfers to other hospitals.
Expanded access to advanced procedures such as bronchoscopy, gastroscopy, EEG, etc.
Performing complex surgeries that are currently not available at the hospital.
Improved infection control and inpatient care conditions.

In its first year of operation, the unit is expected to treat approx. 500 children, providing a vital service to the region’s pediatric population.

Project Details

Expected completion: Q4 2026

Construction cost: approx. NIS 1.7 million

Medical equipment cost: approx. NIS 900,000

Total project cost: approx. NIS 2.6 million

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center - program

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center - illustration image

The establishment of a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit is an urgent and essential medical need. The unit will enable life-saving care close to home, significantly improve patient safety, and reduce the need for transfers to other medical centers. This initiative is of paramount importance in saving children’s lives, strengthening families, and ensuring access to advanced, timely and safe medical care when every second counts.

You have the opportunity to make an immediate and meaningful impact
on the lives of many children in critical medical conditions.

Help us save lives!

Donations via bank transfer:

Hillel Yaffe Medical Center Research Fund

Bank Leumi, Branch 907 Hadera

Account Number 1132781

*Donations are tax-deductible under Section 46 of the Israeli Income Tax Ordinance.

Donation from U.S.A via P.E.F

Israel is a U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity (Amuta No. 58-0307437)