Together We Stand

[ 82 ] the Office of the Haitian Prime Minister and the Haitian Ministry of Health. Following a professional assessment, it was decided to implement the project within the grounds of St Justinian Hospital, the second largest in the country, which serves as a referral medical centre. The aim was to prepare the hospital to respond in cases of mass casualty disasters and to upgrade the emergency system infrastructure to improve treatment of ongoing cases. An Israeli team comprising 12 experts arrived in Haiti, bringing with them from Israel all the building equipment necessary to prepare the grounds (300 square metres) as well as the medical equipment needed to operate the trauma unit. The new trauma unit includes an emergency room for routine treatment and a section for treatment of severe cases to be used during emergency situations, including state-of-the-art medical equipment (monitors, comput- ers, artificial respiration instruments, defibrillators and more). Upon the completion of the structure, a team of four Israeli experts arrived in Cap-Haitiën to train over 40 local medical staff: doctors, nurses and technicians. The medical facility is fully operated by the local staff. Hospitals of Hope The Ebola outbreak, the largest and longest in history, has had a devastating impact. The countries affected in West Africa were Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Eight neighbouring countries were also at risk as the virus could quickly spread across borders, a fact that necessitated rapid control measures. Due of the seriousness of the situation the United Nations, together with international organizations, governments and societies around the world, provided emergency aid to prevent the spread of the epidemic. At the request of Israel’s Prime Minister, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs through MASHAV joined the global fight against Ebola. The Israeli response included two phases. The first was immediate response to the international effort in contain- ing and mitigating the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa and included the shipment of basic medical equipment and drugs to Sierra Leone and protective gear to the African Union headquarters. Later on, two Israeli doctors, experts in public health and infectious diseases, arrived in Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire, with the aim of sharing with the local Ministry of Health’s professional teams and medical staff methods to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. The Israeli doctors conducted a series of workshops for local medical personnel, who in turn trained medical teams in their regions to dissemi- nate the measures to prevent and contain the epidemic. The second phase involved long-term assistance and capacity-building. In November 2014 MASHAV launched Operation Hospitals of Hope. Three fully-equipped mobile clinics and a large medical cargo were shipped from Israel to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea (Conakry) to help medical professionals combat the spread of the Ebola epidemic. MASHAV teamed up with the non-profit Israeli organiza- tion SAREL Ltd to dispatch the much-needed equipment to the West African countries fighting the epidemic. The mobile clinics included 20 beds each, protective gear, treatment carts and all the medical equipment required, with empha- sis on isolation units and protection gear to allow medical professionals to quarantine and care for their patients. Israeli experts trained the local health personnel and instructed them on how to operate the clinics. In addition, the State of Israel contributed funds to the United Nations Ebola Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund, and became the largest donor per capita in the international combat against Ebola. Israeli humanitarian relief and assistance The cases of Haiti and the Ebola outbreak are two examples among dozens of Israeli response operations in times of interna- tional crisis. This is, and has been for decades, an integral part of the vision of the State of Israel, through MASHAV, of offering a helping hand to all human beings and nations in need, and a manifestation of the very deep Jewish traditional ideological ideal of healing the world — without prejudice of race or religion. Putting aside Israel ’s own immense internal and regional challenges, at a time of any humanitarian crisis in any corner of our globe, you will most probably find Israeli humanitarian relief teams among the first on site. Drawing on Israel’s vast experience in crisis response and field medicine, we rapidly organize and dispatch much- needed supplies, medicines and urgent medical assistance. Through the years, Israel has sent humanitarian relief and assistance to more than 140 countries, saving numerous lives — from newborns to the helpless elderly. In the face of growing global threats and challenges, it is our duty to strive for community resilience while strengthening our commitment of leaving no one behind. Let us not wait for disasters and humanitarian crises to happen; let us work tirelessly and on a daily basis, to build resilience and ensure proper and fast response. Israel draws on its experience in crisis response and field medicine to rapidly organize supplies, medicines and urgent medical assistance Image: Courtesy of MASHAV T ogether W e S tand