Dr. Eyran Halpern, Chief Executive Officer of Rabin Medical Center

It has been a while since my last update and I hope all is well with you and your families. Here at the hospital, my position as CEO continues to be highly dynamic, bringing forth many challenges and issues which often affect the entire Israeli health system. The country wide doctor's strike, the longest and most dramatic in Israel's history, finally ended a few months ago and has impacted all hospitals in Israel, including RMC, particularly regarding young physicians. Among the important changes brought about by this strike was the strengthening of medicine in the geographical periphery of Israel, the enhancement of certain medical fields such as anesthesiology and general surgery and perhaps the most complex of all, the agreement that all doctors would now sign a time card during their work hours. There was of course also an increase in salary which affects the overall daily budget of the hospital.

Additionally, although Israel is considered to have remained stable during the ongoing global financial crisis, it is believed that 2013 is going to be problematic for the country with severe government cutbacks in social services, including medicine. We are therefore putting great thought into our strategic plans for the coming years.

Yet, with all these concerns, as a major medical center in Israel which provides ongoing excelled services in all areas of medicine, we have a responsibility to move forward, making necessary changes and implementing new initiatives in order to enhance and improve patient care.

Toward this end we are progressing at great speed with several important projects. These include the construction of the Jusidman Emergency and Trauma Center, which will prepare the hospital to deal with all emergencies, be it conventional or biological. I have attached a picture of the construction site to give you a sense of the magnitude of this project.

Among our new initiatives and according to the strategic plan of the hospital we are planning to establish a unique Multidisciplinary Breast Care Center, which will provide comprehensive medical care for the detection and diagnosis of all breast related diseases including cancer. The support required for this project is USD $ 1,450,000, and we hope that AFRMC will be our partner in this vital project.

In addition RMC continues to pioneer new technologies and endevours for the benefit of all citizens of Israel, having performed only last month, the first Israeli implant of an artificial heart as a replacement for a real heart and the first Israel domino liver transplant where a liver from one donor saved the lives of two patients. Both of these transplants were amazing team efforts and were widely presented in the press.

I am truly glad, that way on the other side of the ocean; we have such supportive partners as you, helping to enhance the realization of our mutual dreams and plans.

Wishing you a wonderful summer,
Dr. Eyran Halpern
Chief Executive Officer, Rabin Medical Center