During a visit to a diplomatic summit in the Negev, Secretary of State Antony Blinken took a virtual tour of Sadeh Hospital, an Israeli field hospital set up in Ukraine as part of the Kochav Meir humanitarian aid operation launched following the Russian invasion of the country.
Blinken reportedly spoke favorably about the medical teams working on the ground in the operation set up by the Sheba Medical Center and representatives of the Israeli healthcare system.
The field hospital has reportedly treated 734 people since its inception, including 30 patients who required hospitalization. It has conducted 16,310 lab tests and 22 consultations, primarily through Sheba Beyond Virtual Hospital, headed by Dr. Galia Barkai.
President Isaac Herzog praised the health workers at a Shabbat reception at the field hospital, saying, "You are beautiful Israel at its best, you and many dozens of amazing Israeli men and women who are on Ukrainian soil fulfilling a sublime mission, performing an amazing mitzvah ... under alarms and warnings, and I thank you on behalf of the entire State of Israel."
Polina Rosenberg, a nurse who runs the Respiratory Enhancement Department at the hospital, was surprised by her son Berry, a representative of the Schusterman Foundation, which contributes to national and social projects in Israel.