In a significant milestone for both Hadassah International (HI) and Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO), Hadassah was recently featured in an extensive one-page interview within the Sunday edition of #1 Brazilian newspaper, O GLOBO. With a readership spanning millions and particularly resonating with the highest socio-economic strata, O GLOBO holds a significant place in the media landscape. Its print edition alone garners impressive sales of 350,000 copies daily. This feature carries a level of recognition comparable to being highlighted in world known publications like The New York Times and The Times of London. The spotlight fell on Dr. Ahmad Nama, the Director of the Emergency Department at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem.
O GLOBO article: https://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/noticia/2023/08/20/conflitos-e-politica-ficam-fora-do-hospital-diz-medico-arabe-israelense.ghtml
This article marks a remarkable opportunity for Hadassah to showcase, in Brazil and the World, its vital contributions to healthcare while shedding light on the exceptional expertise and dedication of Dr. Nama. The opportunity for Dr. Nama’s interview in O GLOBO came to be as he was on his way to Chile from Israel for a week of intense work with the Chilean medical community. Hadassah International serves as a bridge connecting the renowned medical expertise of HMO to healthcare professionals, organizations, and patients worldwide. This feature in O GLOBO underscores Hadassah International’s commitment to sharing HMO’s breakthroughs and advancements on a global stage.
O GLOBO, one of Brazil’s most influential and widely-read newspapers, holds a prominent position in the country’s media landscape. Founded in 1925, it has consistently been a reliable source of news and information, catering to a diverse readership. Known for its in-depth reporting, comprehensive coverage, and strong editorial standards, O GLOBO has earned a reputation for delivering accurate, well-researched, and insightful content. The newspaper covers a wide range of topics, including politics, economics, culture, and international affairs, making it an ideal platform for showcasing important stories with global implications. For Hadassah, being featured in O GLOBO presents a unique opportunity to reach a broad audience and highlight its impactful contributions to healthcare worldwide.
At the heart of the feature is Dr. Ahmad Nama, a respected figure in the field of emergency medicine. As the Director of the Emergency Department at Hadassah Ein Kerem, Dr. Nama brings not only his medical expertise but also his leadership and innovative approach to healthcare. His experience in managing critical situations, training medical personnel, and implementing state-of-the-art technologies has not only enhanced patient care within Israel but has also had a far-reaching impact on emergency medical practices globally.
English translation of the interview below.
‘Conflicts and politics stay outside the hospital’, says Arab-Israeli doctor
After assisting Ukrainian refugees in Poland at the beginning of the war, a specialist trained in the Middle East came to Brazil and says that the first thing to do is always to treat fear.
By Renato Vasconcelos — Sao Paulo
08/20/2023
Ahmad Nama heads the Emergency Department at Hadassah Ein Kerem, a medical reference center in Israel.
The Arab Israeli doctor Ahmad Nama says that there is a taboo (insurmountable rule) in the Emergency Department of the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, one of the reference units of the Israeli health system, which he leads: no politics in the corridors. In Jerusalem, where ethnic and religious disputes are increasingly frequent, Nama and his team strive to ensure that every Jew, Arab or Palestinian is treated, for as long as it takes, as just another patient — even though conflict eventually comes through the door from the front.
Nama, 38 years old, met with doctors and students at the Hospital das Clínicas, in São Paulo, and at the Souza Aguiar Hospital, in Rio, to exchange experiences and tell a little about his expertise, which includes, among other things, caring for Ukrainian refugees on the border with Poland in the first months of the war.
What was it like to care for Ukrainian refugees in Poland?
Early in the war, when many people were leaving Ukraine, Jorge Diener, (CEO of Hadassah International), visited Poland with some Hadassah doctors and staff. They literally went from nowhere to nowhere on the Polish border, looking for where these refugees were going and how they could help. Today it is already known that there was a large flow of people from all over the world in that area. Initially, we set up a Clinic inside a mall, which was basically building something from scratch. We arrived at this Clinic, walked in, sat there and refugees basically came from the Ukrainian border to get treatment for a wide range of things. We also had another space in another mall, but, in the end, we started to serve inside the Ukrainian Consulate, in an old theater that was full of refugees.
What was the biggest challenge on the Ukrainian border?
I can say that everything I experienced in my life in medicine, the whole experience, I had to put into practice in the same place for two weeks. From day one, we’ve tried to register every patient we see, including staff who have been injured while caring for refugees. We didn’t have all the necessary equipment, but I remember using a mobile ultrasound to check on a woman who came in with some complaint of shortness of breath: we could see that she had fluid in her lungs.
Was there a more recurrent urgency among the Ukrainians who arrived for care?
Most of the patients who arrived there were afraid. There were people who couldn’t get their medicine before leaving home, mainly elderly people, and they had blood pressure problems. Many had bedsores from the time they sat or the long distances they walked. I don’t remember anyone with puncture wounds, but if any of them survived a bombing or something, they probably didn’t talk about it and just reported some pain. They needed assistance with minor injuries and someone to talk to. And we were there to support them in everything, whether it was talking, giving a hug or saying everything was fine. Medical clinics and hospitals are usually places where you provide help. And these people were afraid.
Could you feel what was going on across the border?
If you went to the places where we went, you would be crying by now. It’s total chaos. Imagine being forced into a mall lobby, needing a number first, like in a prison or some sort of controlled area. They give you a piece of mattress, where you must sleep. They also give you food, but you don’t know who cooked it. Inside, there are literally tents of countries: Germany, Norway, Sweden… You go, register, and they put your name on the whiteboard. Afterwards, you are put on a bus, and it goes somewhere, but you don’t know where. You came from somewhere and now you are nowhere. It’s a total disaster. Some patients needed urgent care. I remember one of them who needed hemodialysis. How was he going to have access to that?
What is it like to be an Arab-Israeli running the Emergency Department of a leading hospital in Israel?
Hadassah is located in what is certainly one of the most complex places in the Middle East, and perhaps in the world. What we try to do – and we are doing – is to keep the conflict out of the Hospital and out of our daily lives. It’s a rule we’ve created to keep ethically questionable thoughts out of the Hospital. There are always tensions, conflicts and problems in the city. If this gets into the Hospital, it will be a total disaster. We keep all the conflicts and politics out of the Hospital. As for being an Arab leading an Emergency Department, my purpose in life and what I do on a day-to-day basis has to do with professionalism.
But doesn’t the conflict eventually enter through the emergency door?
Of course yes, we are there and they come to us. Once a patient asked me for a gown because he wanted to escape the Hospital posing as a doctor, afraid that a rival group would find him. I didn’t give him the gown, but I called security and we transferred him to another Hospital unit. The issue is that when someone walks through the Emergency door, that person is a patient.
Your department is a reference in Israel for the use of nerve blockers to reduce pain…
The concept of nerve block basically is if you hurt some part of the body, go to the nerve and give it a local anesthetic. It’s like when you go to the dentist and he puts on local anesthesia to do tooth extractions. I learned how to perform a specific nerve block for those with hip fractures, especially the elderly. We passed this procedure on to all teams because it is unacceptable for a patient with a broken hip to be left in pain. We’ve done over 250 blocks so far.