Background

The Galilee Medical Center (GMC)’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is the principal

hospital department serving women throughout the Western Galilee who experience a

range of gynecological conditions. The Department’s highly skilled medical team performs

thousands of surgical procedures every year and provides a high level of professional

medical care.

The Department is located in an old building, which has already been largely renovated.

The Department’s appearance and infrastructure remain the same as they were many

years ago: the lighting is dim, the floor tiles are broken and unattractive, and the overall

impression is uninviting. Moreover, the wards are crowded, with three to six beds in each

room and little privacy. The communal bathrooms and showers are old and unsanitary.

Overall, patients report a huge disparity between the high quality of the treatment they

receive and the Department’s unappealing and depressing physical environment.

The Galilee Medical Center seeks to renovate its run-down and

overcrowded Gynecology Department so that it will be compatible

with modern hospital standards and meet increased demand.

Renovating and Upgrading

the Gynecology Department

About the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

The GMC’s Department of Obstetrics and

Gynecology (OB/GYN) serves approximately 3,200

inpatients and an additional 2,000 ambulatory

cases annually. Average occupancy stands at

85%. The Department offers treatments for a

wide range of women’s health issues, for women

of all ages, including pregnant women until the

24th week of pregnancy.

The Department performs approximately 1,800

surgical procedures a year in the fields of general

gynecology, gynecological oncology (cancerous

tumors), pelvic pain and endometriosis and

urogynecology. In addition, the Department

provides 24/7 service to the hospital’s Emergency

Room, general and ambulatory operating rooms

and outpatient clinics.

The GMC’s OB/GYN Department is headed by

Dr. Avishalom Sharon, a specialist in obstetrics

and gynecology who is a senior gynecological

surgeon, with special expertise in pelvic pain, endometriosis, advanced laparoscopic

surgery and gynecological oncology. His professional team consists of seven senior doctors,

three interns (in rotation), 18 nurses and an interdisciplinary support team that includes a

social worker, physical therapist and dietician.

The Department operates six ambulatory clinics – general gynecology, cervix, hysteroscopy,

pelvic pain and endometriosis, gynecological oncology, and pelvic floor – that treat patients

before and after surgery and are staffed by doctors who are specialists in those fields.

In addition to professional medical care, the Department’s staff provides compassionate

support and understanding, which is also very important to the patients’ care and outcomes.

The Plan

Galilee Medical Center plans to significantly upgrade the physical conditions of the OB/

GYN Department in order to create a pleasant, comfortable and respectful environment,

in line with expectations for a hospital in the 21st century. To accomplish this goal, the

Department will undergo a substantial renovation, during which it will modify and renovate

its infrastructure and aesthetics to meet current needs and standards. The planned

renovation will significantly improve the hospitalization conditions in comparison to the

situation today.

The hospital rooms will be refurbished and redecorated – taking into account the patients’

needs and their desire for privacy. In addition, the reception areas, examination rooms,

dining room and staff room will also be renovated.

The project will include new flooring for the entire department, new ceilings and lighting,

renovated bathrooms with new bathroom fixtures, the installation of safety and fire

precautions according to the latest standards and requirements, and a new interior design

to create an appealing atmosphere conducive to healing.

The project is expected to take six months to complete once funding is obtained.

About Galilee Medical Center

Galilee Medical Center (GMC) is a government-owned general hospital that was established

shortly after the founding of the State of Israel in Nahariya in the Western Galilee. Today

it is the sole medical center in the region, serving a diverse population of 600,000 Jews,

Moslems, Christians and Druze – civilians and soldiers.

GMC’s strategic location, a mere six miles from the hostile Lebanese border, requires it

to maintain the highest standards of preparedness in case of emergency situations. The

hospital must always be ready to provide advanced treatment for multiple casualty events

involving both civilian and military populations. During the Second Lebanon War of 2006,

the Medical Center suffered a direct hit from a missile, and numerous lives were saved

thanks to the fact that the hospital had transferred its activities to its fortified underground

facilities, the first and only one of its kind in Israel at that time.

Galilee Medical Center received international acknowledgment for its professional and

humane treatment of 3,000 wounded Syrians – 70% of all the victims who were brought to

Israel in order to receive humanitarian aid during the bloody civil war in Syria.

In recent years, GMC has undergone an unprecedented overhaul: dozens of new departments

and new medical services were inaugurated, some in fields that were previously unavailable

to residents of the periphery. These include the new neurosurgery department; the cerebral

angiography unit; head surgery; oral and maxillofacial specialists, and others.

In addition to being the largest surgical center in the Galilee, GMC is the principal teaching

hospital for the Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee, training approximately

two-thirds of its medical students.

For more information, contact

Talia Zaks, Director of Donor Relations, Friends of Galilee Medical Center,

Tel. +972-53-4222310 | [email protected]

Cost

Galilee Medical Center is seeking $750K in funding to cover the cost of renovating the

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.