Returning to a Sense of Normalcy: Hadassah Hospitals Resume Routine Operations

Following the recent ceasefire, the Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) has safely moved all patients from underground sheltered facilities back to their regular, above-ground wards, at both the Ein Kerem and Mount Scopus campuses. This move ends a 40-day period where HMO ran 16 emergency sites while also maintaining all normal medical services.

Prof. Yoram Weiss, Director General of HMO, emphasized that while the return to routine is a welcome step, Hadassah hospitals remain prepared and will monitor the situation closely during this fragile transition period.

The operation followed a phased plan prepared in advance by hospital leadership, with patient safety and infection prevention as the primary guiding priorities. The most challenging aspect of the transfer involved mobilizing critically ill patients connected to ECMO life-support and ventilation, some of whom had been sedated in the underground wards for weeks. Moving patients in this condition requires large multidisciplinary teams and meticulous coordination. Thanks to the extraordinary staff of physicians, nurses and technicians, all transfers were completed successfully, including the return of the premature infants to their specialized unit at Hadassah Mount Scopus.

Yaniv Sherer, Director of Hadassah Ein Kerem, noted that during the conflict, the hospital sustained a scope of activity unmatched by any other facility in the country. While maintaining emergency protocols, Hadassah hospitals continued to run three shifts of operating rooms, high-volume clinics and ongoing trauma care, all while managing a record number of deliveries.

While the underground hospital in the Gandel Rehabilitation Center on Mount Scopus remains open for internal medicine due to scheduled renovations, the majority of departments have now returned to their regular workspaces.

Dalia Itzik, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Hadassah International, stated that the transition was carried out with an uncompromising commitment to patient safety and the continuity of care.