How do you say reciprocity in Chinese?

A large delegation from China - from well-known hospitals all around the country - arrived this week to visit Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, with the goal of setting up future areas of cooperation and strengthening existing collaboration

Yesterday, there was an unusual site at the entrance to the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center . About 25 senior officials of the Chinese government, including the staff of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Israel, directors of Chinese hospitals and top medical professionals from the Chinese military, studied the hospital wing with amazement, while shaking hands and expressing their delight when meeting with HYMC management. The reason for the meeting - an official delegation from China that came to attend the Second Israeli International Conference on Healthcare System Preparedness & Response to Emergencies & Disasters in Tel Aviv, but the main reason was to visit Hillel Yaffe Medical Center to establish scientific-medical collaboration.

HYMC management, members of the delegation and representatives of the Embassy of the PRC in Israel at the entrance to the hospital

"This is a special relationship forged by Dr. Morris Topaz, Director of our Department of Plastic Surgery," said Prof. Meir Oren, HYMC Director General. "Dr. Topaz was in China a few years ago to study the wound debridement technique used at various hospitals in China . During his trip, a strong relationship was established with the the People's Hospital of De-Yang, a city in Sichuan, a province in Southwest China, after Dr. Topaz assisted in treating victims of the 2008 earthquake. Dr. Topaz received an award from the Chinese Premier as part of the country's 60th anniversary celebrations. Later, Dr. Topaz approached me on behalf of the management of the People's Hospital of De-Yang, to collaborate with the Chinese hospital. The collaboration, which got off the ground in January last year, when we signed a so-called Sister Hospital Agreement, with the encouragement of the Israeli Ministry of Health."

Directors of the Chinese hospitals, representative of the Embassy of the PRC, Prof. Oren, Dr. Topaz and Dr. Ben Moshe

The delegation, which just arrived, is made up of approximately 20 representatives of four hospitals around China: The First Affiliated Hospital of General Military Hospital in Beijing, the big hospital in Taiyuan, a city in the province of Shanxi, the large hospital in De-Yang, a city in the province of Sichuan and the First Affiliated Hospital of Shihezi Medical University in the province of Zhejiang. All of these hospitals have 1,000-2,000 beds and serve populations of millions.

Yesterday's meeting, in which HYMC management also participated, included a gala meal. Mutual greetings were exchanged as were symbolic gifts, in keeping with Chinese tradition. A representative of the Embassy of the PRC in Israel , Zhao Gao-Lin, Counselor, Science and Technology Section, referred in his speech to the fact that both Chinese and Jewish traditions have very long legacies of over 5,000 years, which leads China to hold the State of Israel in great esteem. Additionally, he noted the great importance China attributes to cooperation of the type HYMC proposed to the hospitals represented in the delegation.

Prof. Oren giving the Chinese Consul a picture of the hospital

Prof. Peng Xinyu, Director Manager of the First Affiliated Hospital of Shihezi Medical University, who was also one of the speakers, emphasized that in his few days in Israel, he learned that there were many similarities between the Chinese and Israeli landscapes, and that he truly enjoyed touring Israel. The other members of the delegation agreed wholeheartedly with him, noting the fascinating visit to Masada, the Dead Sea and Jerusalem prior to the meeting.

Prof. Meir Oren, HYMC Director General, thanked the delegation on behalf of the entire management team and all HYMC employees for their visit and the plans for collaboration. He expressed his hope that this collaboration would strengthen the relationship between the two countries, China and Israel, in the coming years.

Note that the delegation will be in Israel through the end of the week, with the ceremony marking the signing of another Sister Hospital Agreement scheduled to take place this Thursday, January 19, 2012, with the First Affiliated Hospital of Shihezi Medical University, and confirmation of the existing agreement with the People's Hospital of De-Yang.