Gali Weiss, Head Nurse at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center is currently serving as Head Nurse at the IDF Field Hospital in Port-Au- Prince, Haiti. She reported on the state of the relief efforts in an interview with Israel Radio’s Reshet Bet On Thursday, January 21st.  Speaking during a rare break in her work triaging patients through the hospital, Ms. Weiss described scenes, “like nothing I’ve ever seen before with streams of people in need leading up to the gates of the hospital.”

Ms. Weiss, who is part of an IDF relief effort which has captured the attention and the admiration of the entire world for succeeding to set up a fully operational medical facility within a period of only hours, served as a career officer in the Israeli military before coming to Shaare Zedek.  “The people here are remarkable, filled with an enormous desire to contribute and invest whatever they can to help the victims,” she said.

Asked to describe what her most difficult experience has been to date, she retold the story of a remarkable birth which the IDF team carried out. The medical staff thought that they were delivering a stillborn baby.  To their great surprise, the team quickly realized that the deceased fetus still had a living sibling inside the womb.  “This was a good ending to a story that had a very painful beginning,” she says.  Yet she acknowledged that “There’s no end to the flow of orphans” living in Haiti and there can be no guarantees where these children will go in the future.

Ms. Weiss is joined in Haiti by three Shaare Zedek physicians including Dr. Ofer Merin who is directing the surgical operations in the field hospital. Dr. Merin has been the focus of several international media profiles detailing the particularly important role that the Israeli team is playing in the relief effort.  Dr. Ehud Lebel, Director of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery is also involved with relief efforts as is senior OBGYN, Dr. Doron Goldberg.

Gali recalled that one of the toughest moments for the rescuers, most of whom are working almost around the clock, came with the major aftershock which struck the city on Wednesday morning and registered 6.1 on the Richter Scale.

Reporting that it’s still not clear how long the team will be on the ground in Haiti, the expectation is that their specific role will last for at least another week or two. Israeli media has reported that the field hospital would be in place for at least another month. 

Ms. Weiss said that despite the very harsh conditions, with high temperatures, humidity and swarms of flies and mosquitoes, the Israeli team is encouraged by the recognition that the world is hearing about their contribution.  “We have tremendous people working literally at all times of the day.  Every now and then we have to pause and wipe away our tears but then we just need to compose ourselves and move on to the next patient.”

For more information please contact jeremy@szmc.org.il

Gali Weiss, Head Nurse at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center is currently serving as Head Nurse at the IDF Field Hospital in Port-Au- Prince, Haiti. She reported on the state of the relief efforts in an interview with Israel Radio’s Reshet Bet On Thursday, January 21st.  Speaking during a rare break in her work triaging patients through the hospital, Ms. Weiss described scenes, “like nothing I’ve ever seen before with streams of people in need leading up to the gates of the hospital.”

Ms. Weiss, who is part of an IDF relief effort which has captured the attention and the admiration of the entire world for succeeding to set up a fully operational medical facility within a period of only hours, served as a career officer in the Israeli military before coming to Shaare Zedek.  “The people here are remarkable, filled with an enormous desire to contribute and invest whatever they can to help the victims,” she said.

Asked to describe what her most difficult experience has been to date, she retold the story of a remarkable birth which the IDF team carried out. The medical staff thought that they were delivering a stillborn baby.  To their great surprise, the team quickly realized that the deceased fetus still had a living sibling inside the womb.  “This was a good ending to a story that had a very painful beginning,” she says.  Yet she acknowledged that “There’s no end to the flow of orphans” living in Haiti and there can be no guarantees where these children will go in the future.

Ms. Weiss is joined in Haiti by three Shaare Zedek physicians including Dr. Ofer Merin who is directing the surgical operations in the field hospital. Dr. Merin has been the focus of several international media profiles detailing the particularly important role that the Israeli team is playing in the relief effort.  Dr. Ehud Lebel, Director of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery is also involved with relief efforts as is senior OBGYN, Dr. Doron Goldberg.

Gali recalled that one of the toughest moments for the rescuers, most of whom are working almost around the clock, came with the major aftershock which struck the city on Wednesday morning and registered 6.1 on the Richter Scale.

Reporting that it’s still not clear how long the team will be on the ground in Haiti, the expectation is that their specific role will last for at least another week or two. Israeli media has reported that the field hospital would be in place for at least another month. 

Ms. Weiss said that despite the very harsh conditions, with high temperatures, humidity and swarms of flies and mosquitoes, the Israeli team is encouraged by the recognition that the world is hearing about their contribution.  “We have tremendous people working literally at all times of the day.  Every now and then we have to pause and wipe away our tears but then we just need to compose ourselves and move on to the next patient.”

For more information please contact jeremy@szmc.org.il