Israeli Volunteers in Haiti

Port-au-Prince, Haiti - The large field hospital established by the IDF Medical Corps at 10 a.m. Shabbat local time was already treating dozens of patients four hours later, when its commander, Lt.-Col. Dr. Itzik Reiss, was able to take a breather and speak to Israeli health reporters via a conference call.


Children with severe fractures set only with cardboard arrived at the hospital for treatment. Some young patients had been freed from rubble but had to have limbs amputated due to severe gangrene, he said. Within a few hours, operations were performed.


The hospital has an emergency room, pediatric, orthopedic, internal medicine, obstetrics and surgery departments, clinics and other facilities. The delivery room and premature baby unit are prepared to function but have not yet received any women or infants.

The patients started arriving after a local hospital, unable to function normally, announced the IDF facility's existence.


The Israeli facility, set up in very hot and humid weather, has enough equipment to function for about two weeks. The 121-member team has 40 doctors, including a psychiatrist, 20 nurses, 20 paramedics and medics, 20 lab and X-ray technicians and administrators.


Among the staff are Orthodox Jews who went to Haiti even though it was Shabbat. Reiss said they avoided performing unnecessarily tasks like shaving, but did everything needed to save lives. The military personnel are both regular army and reserve soldiers.

A doctor treats a patient at...

It was not clear how many desperate patients would reach the hospital over the coming days, he said. Reiss said he expected victims of infectious disease would start arriving soon.


Haitians were wandering aimlessly in the streets, Reiss said.


"It is very difficult. There is a bad feeling of destruction. It is very sad," he said.


The field hospital may continue operating under Israeli auspices after getting it restocked in two weeks, or it may be turned over to locals, he added.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• IDF
• rescue
• team
• in
• Haiti
• Port-au-Prince
• Israeli
• Volunteers
• Sabbath
• Jewish
• Jews

[sternwolf27]

Where is Hamas? Where is Hesbollah? Where is Iran? Where are the muslims helping them? Nowhere, instead they are demonising the west blaming every problem to the west. Hypocrits! Thanks to IDF and every other country that help those people.

[andreaksen]

GOD BLESS ISRAEL 4 EVER

[jettastreetracer]

Hmm....cubans sent doctors...i guess its mot good for the public viewing or hwaring pleasure. I dont hate all jews, aome are awsome, smart, politw,.some actually fall into the atereotype they have lol.

[David51895]

Thank god that ISraeli knew french

[20lonDon20]

(A must watch) watch?v=XSeXAgi7yAk&feature=re­lated 

[shawncouzens]

I can't believe all the horrible anti-semetic comments. It's rampant. Clearly, things are no different today than 50 years ago...150 years ago and 1,500 years ago. The world will always hate us Jews - no matter how unfounded.

Disgusting and depressing...especially considering all that the Jews have contributed to the world.

[MoonshadowRogue]

@JeepChew

I wear shades inside because the light I use behind my webcam is too strong.

I never said Israel is perfect or that Jews never commit crimes. You're the one who's going to extremes, not me. I'm simply saying that when something is too ridiculous to be true, it probably ISN'T true.

So you're one of two types: You're either someone who makes up far-fetched lies in the name of hate... or someone who believes in ridiculous lies in the name of hate. Which one?

[0SXM]

did they really see this as an opportunity to harvest organs. Jews - they are so disgusting

[MoonshadowRogue]

@JeepChew

Dude. do you actually believe this stuff? you should lay off the LSD, I think

[TeslaGenerator]

Check everything about Israel in this photo:

3mb (dot) us

/images/717_WhatWeShouldKnow.j­pg