The outbreak of conflict has necessitated exercises by the hospital to ensure safety. Sirens within the hospital were activated, and intensive on-site operations were carried out, as well as field work by hospital staff and external emergency authorities.
These were part of two emergency drills which the Nazareth Hospital carried out last week. During one drill, a mass casualty incident was simulated. These exercises, carried out in cooperation with Home Front Command, the police, and the local municipality, are vital to ensuring readiness for several emergency scenarios.
We are training not just for possibilities, but tragedies occurring around the Nazareth area. In the first couple of weeks of the war, the hospital treated 18 people from a neighbouring town, injured as a result of a missile attack.
They provide the necessary training and performance evaluation to enhance our rapid response capabilities wherever possible. We are ensuring the highest level of preparation we can achieve, and the delivery of optimal care during emergencies.
The Ministry of Health and the Northern District Directorate and was welcomed by our CEO Waseem Dibbini, and the hospital director, Professor Fahed Hakim, along with the hospital management and staff.
During the visit, the Director General toured the hospital’s protected facilities and closely observed the rapid and professional relocation of inpatient departments, operating rooms, intensive care units, and other essential services to ensure full operation within the protected areas.
Director General of the Ministry of Health, Moshe Bar Siman-Tov, said during the visit: “Nazareth EMMS Hospital serves as a central medical anchor in the north, especially for Arab society. I was impressed by the hospital’s remarkable preparedness, high professionalism, and its ability to continue providing advanced medical services even under security-related constraints. This reflects the exceptional work of the management and the dedicated teams to operate around the clock.”
Preparation begins before the first response. To continue the work of the Dialysis Department without interruption and ensure the safety of our patients and staff, we have relocated all of its services to the fortified dialysis unit in the Doshi Center building.
This allows the department’s 21 dialysis machines to operate 24/7, serving patients from our hospital as well as others in the Nazareth area. It is currently the only protected dialysis unit in Nazareth.
When alerts and sirens are sounded, patients remain in place to continue their treatment under safe, fortified, and uninterrupted medical supervision.
To pull this off, more than 25 staff members work together with remarkable energy, coordination, and momentum. Each day, they put the well-being of their patients first and foremost under the immense pressure of this conflict. We thank them for their dedication.
We are facing a situation which is in many ways unprecedented, and the safety of our patients and staff is, as always, our top priority. Our hospital is determined to carry out its duty to the people of Nazareth to the best of its ability. We give thanks to God for giving us the strength to carry it out.
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”
Matthew 25:35-36
