BGU Physicians Return from Haiti: UPDATED REPORT 2/14
BGU Physicians Return from Haiti: UPDATED REPORT 2/14
February 5, 2010
UPDATED, February 14, 2010 – Physicians affiliated with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) were among the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) medical and rescue delegation in Haiti. Marking their return, they were honored on BGU’s Marcus Family Campus.
The delegation’s 236 members included 218 IDF soldiers and officers, and 18 civilians. Among the 40 physicians were Dr. Carmi Bar-Tal, the delegation member in charge of triage and hospitalization, and Dr. Lior Zeller, both of whom are graduates of and lecturers in BGU’s Joyce and Irving Goldman Medical School.
Also participating on the team was Dr. Avi Yizhak, Israel’s first Ethiopian doctor, who received his medical degree at BGU and is now a surgeon at Soroka University Medical Center in Beer-Sheva; Dr. Erez Karp, also a BGU medical school graduate now at Soroka; and Dr. Gilbert Sebbag, deputy director of Soroka University Medical Center.
Ilan Klein, a student in BGU’s master’s degree program in emergency medicine, and Elisabeth Berger, a first-year student from the University’s Medical School for International Health (MSIH), were also part of the delegation.
In addition to the Israeli delegation, several graduates of the MSIH, an international English-taught medical school in collaboration with Columbia University that focuses on emergency medicine, disaster relief and the developing world, were also helping in Haiti.
Dr. Bar-Tal, who was in charge of the IDF field hospital said, “The huge hospital operated in a well-guarded, fenced soccer stadium in the center of Port-au-Prince, treating open fractures, crush injuries and other orthopedic problems.
“We opened a community clinic near the fence so patients who only needed to be bandaged would not have to be admitted to the hospital. We discharged patients but don’t know what awaited them afterwards. At least we gave them a chance to live.”
During their efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, the medical delegation treated more than 1,110 patients, conducted 319 successful surgeries and delivered 16 births, including three in Cesarean sections. In addition, the IDF search and rescue team rescued or assisted in the rescue of four individuals.
The delegation left 30 tons of medical equipment for use in the ongoing aid effort, including bandages, surgery equipment, two incubators, as well as blankets, tents and mattresses. The equipment will be distributed to tent cities in different locations in Haiti, under the coordination of the Israeli ambassador there.
“We take enormous pride in the role played by our BGU faculty and graduates. Our unique expertise in emergency medicine made us an integral part of Israel’s delegation to Haiti,” remarked Doron Krakow, executive vice president of American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
“This mission is a quintessential example of how we share our knowledge, talent and expertise with the world,” he said.
The BGU and Soroka delegation members were recognized by Prof. Shaul Sofer, dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, and Dr. Michael Scharf, the hospital’s director, in the campus ceremony.
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
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