Posted on 11/05/20
President Rivlin visited the Rambam Medical Center today to show his appreciation for the medical teams and mark the end of the current phase of Operation Shevet Achim, in which IDF medical teams treated coronavirus patients
President Rivlin:
“There is a welcome fall in infection rates, but there are also warning lights. We need a large number of tests to halt the spread of the disease. My fellow Israelis - please do not ignore it. Go and get tested.”
President of Israel Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin today, Thursday 5 November / 18 Cheshvan, visited Rambam Medical Center. The president came to mark the end of the first phase of Operation Shevet Achim and t thank the medical teams for their work in treating coronavirus patients. The president was escorted by hospital director Dr Mickey Halbertal and the IDF’s Chief Medical Officer Brig.-Gen. Prof. Alon Glasberg.
The president heard from the director of the hospital about their preparations for the wave of infections before the lockdown, and about the unique corona system that the hospital established together with the IDF. The Chief Medical Officer presented Operation Shevet Achim to the president, as part of which an IDF corona ward was opened in the hospital. The ward was operated by around 100 army medical staff, including doctors, nurses, medics and others drawn from the Medical Corps’ regular personnel. The ward was established quickly in 72 hours, in close cooperation with and direction of the hospital staff. Over the last month, dozens of patients have been treated with dedication and professionalism and according to the highest medical standards. In light of the falling national infection rates, the operation of the ward has been suspended, and the medical staff of the IDF Medical Corps will work in the hospital’s regular corona wards alongside Rambam’s teams.
Through a video call, the president spoke with Moshe, one of the coronavirus patients treated on the ward and asked about his health. “We hope to see you out as soon as possible. They will take excellent care of you here, and you need to keep your spirits up and help the doctors to help you.” Moshe told the president that he comes from a community in the Western Galilee, and is currently on unpaid leave. He is delighted that his family did not catch the virus from him. “You are in good hands. Feel well and get healthy and strong,” said the president at the end of their call.
The president spoke to the medical, administrative and support teams of the hospital and the IDF soldiers and thanked them for their dedicated work. “You, who work so hard throughout the year, have been working under crisis conditions for a long time already, on the front line, fighting the virus. ‘The Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps’ (Psalms 121). You are the guardians of Israel, and I want to thank you today, from the depths of my heart and on behalf of us all.”
The president added, “the cooperation between the IDF and a civilian hospital is just what is needed at a time like this. Over its history, the State of Israel has known complex and tough challenges. We overcame them all thanks to the innovation, elan and sense of mission that Israeli society and the IDF are based on. In each one of these crises, we knew how to adapt and change to the demands of the hour. The ‘Keter’ wards you established here bring the best of two worlds together – the efficiency and the determination of the military, and the professionalism and sensitivity of the public health system. You are the jewel in the crown. When I see you, I know and the people of Israel know, that we can rely on you. There is a welcome fall in infection rates, but there are also warning lights. We need a large number of tests to halt the spread of the disease. My fellow Israelis - please do not ignore it. Go and get tested.”
Tomorrow, thanks to the welcome fall in the infection rate, you will fold up the Keter ward, the corona ward, and move back to your bases,” said the president at the end of his remarks. “I know that in the next wave that comes, heaven forbid, and whenever you are called to the colors, you will come. Always prepared. You give us not only security – medical and military – but you also give us hope and tremendous pride.”