Netanyahu, Sylvan Adams inaugurate new emergency wing at Ichilov Hospital
Canadian-Israeli philanthropist Sylvan Adams donated NIS 100 million towards the establishment of the new emergency care department at Ichilov Hospital.
By ZACHARY KEYSERPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the cornerstone laying ceremony for an emergency hospital at Ichilov Hospital. December 3, 2020(photo credit: AMOS BEN-GERSHOM/GPO)Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended a ceremony on Thursday, in which he declared the establishment of a new emergency care wing at the Tel Aviv Sourasky (Ichilov) Medical Center.Canadian-Israeli philanthropist Sylvan Adams donated NIS 100 million towards the opening of the hospital's new ward, a sum which was matched by a comparable donation from the Israeli government."At the entrance of this structure will be engraved the words 'progress and humanity,' which are the winning combination," Netanyahu said at the ceremony. "I am happy to see Ichilov moving forward with momentum development and leading in innovation."Construction of the new wing, sharing Adams' namesake, is expected to be completed over the next two years, and once the final brick is laid, it will become the largest emergency room in the State of Israel - sporting the latest state-of-the-art technology and the highest standards of medical care, in line with leading hospitals around the world."Realizing the vision is what is being expressed here. This is the vision. The establishment of the center, of a new emergency wing, at Ichilov Hospital, is an expression of a long-term vision," said Netanyahu. "This is a veteran hospital but I am pleased to see that there is momentum for development and innovation."Adams funds some 25 educational, cultural and health projects throughout the country, including a children’s hospital at the Wolfson Medical Center and a new emergency room at Ichilov, as well as a sports institute to train Olympic hopefuls at Tel Aviv University, where he received an honorary doctorate in 2019. Adams is also the co-owner of the Israel-based World Tour cycling team Israel Start-Up Nation, the benefactor behind the Argentina vs Uruguay international exhibition game in Tel Aviv and Madonna's appearance at the Eurovision competition in Israel in 2019."I am proud to contribute to the construction of a hospital for emergency medicine with standards that have never been seen here in the State of Israel, and that will be at the forefront of the largest and most advanced centers in the world," Adams said himself at the ceremony. "It is against the backdrop of the coronavirus that we see the importance of establishing advanced and innovative hospitals, which will be able to answer such immediate needs, in real time, and I am delighted to give this gift to the residents of the State of Israel and to the city of Tel Aviv."Prof. Roni Gamzu, the current director of Ichilov who served as the coronavirus commissioner during the second wave of infections in Israel and its subsequent lockdown, said that "thanks to Sylvan Adams, one million Israelis a year will receive the most advanced and best treatment at a global level, both in in their day to day care, and in emergencies and at times of epidemics such as we are experiencing now with the coronavirus pandemic."
"This is a dedicated center, with smart technologically and highest level rehabilitation facility in the State of Israel, that will change the standard of care in emergency rooms in public medicine. The Corona Pandemic has proven that the Israeli health care system is not only not collapsing, but of a standard of excellence in the world, with the lowest mortality rate relative to countries similar to Israel," he added. "I am happy regarding steps to open the education system, and I call for continuing efforts to open up trade and the economy – of course this must be done in a measured and careful manner but we must still trust the citizens of Israel who know how to strike this clever balance between appropriate treatment of the pandemic, and active economic life."
