Israel’s Sheba Medical Center is spearheading a groundbreaking medical mission that is bringing telemedicine technologies to the aid of refugees from Ukraine.
Sarit Lerner, chief technology officer of Sheba Beyond, the virtual hospital of Israel’s Sheba Medical Center, flew to Moldova on Saturday night with an initial delegation of 15 physicians, medics and paramedics from Israeli voluntary emergency response organization United Hatzalah.
After landing in Bucharest, Romania, the team drove seven hours to Kishinev, Moldova, to which more than 15,000 refugees from Ukraine had already fled.
United Hatzalah has sent many emergency teams to disaster sites abroad, including in Surfside, Florida, last June. However, this is the first time a United Hatzalah delegation has included a telemedicine aspect enabling on-the-spot physical examinations, prenatal ultrasounds, health vitals monitoring and blood sample analysis.
Israeli technologies allow Sheba’s physicians to lend their expertise in the field without leaving the medical center in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan.
“This is the first time I know of that a humanitarian mission is adding extraordinary value to the first responders there,” said Dr. Galia Barkai, director general of Sheba Beyond.
“Sarit took with her the technology that brings all of Sheba’s excellent clinicians and specialists to the war zone.”
This is an edited version of an article first published by Israel21c.
