Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer inaugurated hundreds of beds in a new intensive care unit on Thursday that will help provide crisis response in times of national emergencies, such as the current pandemic.
“The unit will provide hospitalization on a national level, in the event of an emergency,” said Sheba director-general Yitshak Kreiss.
The unit was made possible by a significant donation from philanthropist Roman Abramovich, who Kreiss described as “a long time donor of Sheba Medical Center. Thanks to him, Israel has now increased its intensive care capabilities.”
Sheba was the first hospital to take in coronavirus patients and has ultimately treated the largest number nationwide. It was able to establish a diverse coronavirus unit, including a special maternity corona care unit, a psychiatric corona care unit, a dialysis corona unit and a corona respiratory rehabilitation unit.
The new ICU is 5,400 square meters and three floors high. Located in the hospital’s underground parking lot, the infrastructure is secure to continue operating in times of war.
Israel lacks enough ICU beds and scrambled to prepare for the current coronavirus crisis. Many experts expect that a second wave will hit Israel sometime in the winter, at the same time as the seasonal flu outbreak. The new beds could prove life-saving in such an event.