Sheba’s Hope without Boundaries: Humanitarian & Disaster Response Across Nations
August 26, 2024 |
Sheba’s Humanitarian and Disaster Response Center (HDRC) has launched missions to areas facing challenges to treat patients and train local medical professionals, creating a far-reaching, lasting impact on global health.
For Sheba Medical Center, providing medical support and assistance in areas where it is needed most isn’t just a calling but a responsibility. On a global scale, helping others has always been a marker of humanity at its best and is something most people aspire to accomplish. Guided by the inspiring values of bringing “light onto the nations,” Sheba Medical Center established Sheba’s Humanitarian & Disaster Response Center (HDRC), led by Prof. Elhanan Bar-On. The primary goal of HDRC is to foster positive change and aid patients in remote parts of the world. The activities of HDRC are based on four pillars:
- Disaster Response
- Humanitarian Aid
- Disaster Medicine Training & Education
- Disaster Medicine Research
Kenya: Providing Medical Training in Collaboration with US Navy’s 5th Fleet
After five months of extensive preparations, the HDRC conducted a week-long mission to Mombasa in Kenya. The main objective of the initiative was to run a medical training program with the US Navy’s 5th Fleet (NAVCENT), aiming to enhance the Kenyan Navy’s preparedness for civilian and combat mass casualty scenarios. The unique training program was part of the 5th Fleet’s “Central Partnership Station” in the Middle East and Africa. Prof. Elhanan Bar-On, the Director of the HDRC, led a team of doctors, nurses, logisticians, and simulation experts from the Azrieli Medical Simulation Center (MSR), as well as consultants from the World Health Organization (WHO). The specialists raised an advanced tented facility, that simulated an emergency room. The training was focused both on disaster-related clinical skills and system management at a mass casualty event, completed in a full-scale mass casualty exercise. The mission was driven by the exchange of professional insights and knowledge among participants. Medical professionals met to discuss ideas and share best practices in emergency treatment.Ukraine: Treating 6,000 Patients at a Field Hospital
After the war broke out in Ukraine, Sheba’s HDRC dispatched a professional team led by Yoel Har-Even, VP of Global Affairs at Sheba Medical Center, alongside Prof. Elhanan Bar-On, Director of the Israel Center for Humanitarian Emergency and Disaster Medicine, to aid with humanitarian efforts. In the town of Mostyska, they set up the “Shining Star” field hospital to provide medical relief to locals and refugees alike. The hospital, equipped with 66 beds, had several departments, including a triage, an ER unit, general care facilities, a birth center, imaging and telehealth technologies, mental health services, a lab, a pharmacy, and an outpatient clinic. The hospital-level field clinic operated 24 hours a day for 6 weeks. The field hospital’s capabilities allowed for the treatment of 150 patients a day, resulting in the total treatment and screening of over 6,000 civilians. The expert medical team from Israel included over 100 members, including doctors, nurses, medical lab workers, medical engineers, pharmacists, as well as logistics and operational personnel. In addition to the team that arrived in Ukraine, more doctors from Sheba Medical Center attended to patients from afar using Sheba Beyond’s virtual medical care capabilities. Saving lives in times of utmost crisis and helping thousands to recover from the calamity of war or natural disaster is what Sheba Medical Center stands by and practices.
Mongolia: Elevating Local Surgical Expertise
For the past 12 years, Sheba’s medical team has been training local Mongolian doctors, focusing on long-term healthcare transformation. This year, Sheba’s team, led by Dr. Eran Alon, performed the 400th surgery side by side with Mongolian doctors, reaching a significant milestone in training local professionals in complex surgical procedures. The mission has been fulfilled in collaboration with the US-based Virtue Foundation. Sheba’s medical team is expanding its mission to Mongolia to the northern region of the country, helping to lift the burden from the National Cancer Center. The training in surgical techniques and invaluable practical knowledge are aimed at facilitating a country-wide advancement in surgical excellence.Global Resonance of Sheba’s Missions
Sheba’s humanitarian and disaster response missions through the HDRC have broad implications beyond immediate relief, strengthening international healthcare systems by providing world-class care, training local medical teams, and fostering global collaboration. The impact of these missions is inspiring, showcasing the potential for humanitarian efforts to bring lasting change. Giving access to healthcare and transforming lives and societies worldwide, Sheba overcomes boundaries and gives us hope for a better and more cooperative global community.
More Posts
Sheba’s Physicians Sweep Forbes Israel’s 2025 “Best Doctors” List
Forbes Israel has named an exceptional number of Sheba Medical Center’s physicians on its 2025 “Best Doctors” list. Earlier this year, Sheba was ranked by Newsweek as one of the World’s Top 10 Hospitals. This recognition and alignment between institutional and individual excellence signals to the global medical community that Sheba concentrates many of Israel’s most trusted clinical leaders under one roof.
Twinning and Training: Scalable Solutions for Global Eye Cancer Equity
Sheba Global Ophthalmology (SGO) demonstrates how sustainable twinning and hands-on training create self-reliant ocular oncology capacity in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), far surpassing the limitations of short-term outreach.
ARC Launches HaMeirim: Sheba’s New Cardiovascular Innovation Center
Sheba Medical Center’s ARC innovation arm has launched and inaugurated HaMeirim – ARC Cardiovascular (“The Radiant Ones” or “Those who shine”), a dedicated innovation center for the Heart, Thorax, and Vascular Center.
