Sheba Medical Team in Turkey: An Errand of Mercy

Braving ice-cold weather and sub-optimal working conditions, a team of Sheba medical professionals operating within thecontext of the IDF Reserve Medical Corps (“Operation: Olive Branch”) flew to
earthquake-stricken Southwest Turkey last weekend with over 200 of their colleagues to tend to the needs of thousands of citizens from the region and beyond, including Syria!

Orna Tsruya, a Sheba pediatric nurse recounted:

“It took two days to settle into a local hospital in Kahramanmaras, one of the largest cities where the destruction from the earthquake was evident. Around the

hospital, I saw hundreds of collapsed buildings with families seen on the roadside
gathering the few clothes and equipment they were able to salvage from the ruins. As a
means of heating, people lit bonfires and sat huddled around them.”

“I settled in the Turkish emergency room and served as a mediator between the local
medical team and the delegation’s medical team. I helped admit patients to the ER and,
after an initial assessment, I coordinated their transfer and directed patients where to go.”

“I found myself reassuring and helping dozens of Syrian refugees as well. The important
message we wanted to convey was that we came, a delegation of soldiers, doctors,
nurses, and paramedics to lend a hand and help the Turkish people, and that we are here with them.”

“Today I feel that I am already part of the local team and work in cooperation together for
one goal – to help anyone who needs medical assistance anywhere in the world – Sheba
is truly a hospital without borders.”

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