The three hats of Prof. Ofer Merin, director-general of Shaare Zedek
Ofer Merin, the recently appointed Director-General of Shaare Zedek Medical Center, provided a fascinating overview of his multiple roles as head of Shaare Zedek, chief of trauma services in the hospital, and head of the IDF’s renowned mobile field hospital.
By ALAN ROSENBAUMProf. Ofer Merin, Director General of Shaare Tzedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, speaks at the 8th annual Jerusalem Post Conference, New York(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Prof. Ofer Merin, recently appointed director-general of Shaare Zedek Medical Center, provided an overview of his multiple roles as head of the Jerusalem hospital, chief of trauma services there, and head of the IDF’s mobile field hospital at the Jerusalem Post Conference in New York.Merin described Shaare Zedek’s rapid expansion, saying that “not many hospitals have a doubling in size in the number of patients treated within a decade.” The hospital is incorporating new technologies as well as new buildings, including an MRI machine for premature babies, and increased use of robotics.Switching hats, Merin described the work of the renowned IDF field hospital that he has headed for the past 15 years, which has treated and saved lives in numerous mass-casualty events around the world. Israel’s mobile field hospital, he explained, has received the highest rating from the World Health Organization for the standards that it maintains. But what separates it from others, he says, “is our values, our ability to treat people with the proper dignity.”Merin then spoke of the work of the hospital’s trauma unit, which frequently has to deal with harrowing cases of terror victims and their rehabilitation. Recalling a terrorist attack in which a husband was shot together with his pregnant wife, he described the dedicated work that was done by the doctors to save the lives of the couple. Unfortunately, the fetus could not be saved. “We could not save the child,” he explained, “but we have to concentrate on life, in whatever we can do.”Citing the Talmudic dictum “Whosoever saves one life, saves the whole world,” Merin said Shaare Zedek is steadfast in its effort to maintain and save lives. The article was written in cooperation with Shaare Zedek Medical Center.
