On Saturday evening, Shaare Zedek Medical Center’s Deputy Director General, Dr. Ofer Merin, was dispatched to Japan as part of the IDF Homefront Command’s humanitarian relief program in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami.
Dr. Merin, a cardiothoracic surgeon who directs the hospital’s disaster preparedness program and its Trauma services, will serve as the Director of Surgical Operations in an IDF Field Hospital that is scheduled to be set up on-site. He performed a very similar role in Haiti in January of 2010, following the devastating earthquake there.
The IDF team will be directed to a village approximately 250 Kilometers north of Tokyo, which has been identified as having been particularly hard-hit by the tsunami. The zone has been designated as being at significantly lower risk for radiation from the nuclear crisis unfolding in Japan. Dr. Merin confirmed that every precaution is being taken to reduce health risks to IDF relief personnel and that the teams are targeting areas with populations in particular need for immediate medical attention.
“The events in Haiti, as well as our extensive experience dealing with mass casualty incidents, have given Israeli medical personnel an important advantage when it comes to setting up these field hospitals and providing comprehensive support and care for those who are desperately in need, “ Dr. Merin said. “We are prepared for a scene in Japan unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. But we are very confident that our resources and experience will allow us to offer a valuable contribution at this critical time.”
Dr. Merin is leaving Jerusalem only after leading the hospital through two major events in the days prior.
On Wednesday, Shaare Zedek treated 21 victims of the first major terrorist strike to hit Jerusalem in several years. The hospital instituted its disaster management protocols as the major medical facility closest to the scene of the attack.
Less than a day later, Dr. Merin supervised a major emergency readiness drill in coordination with the IDF Homefront Command. The attack simulated a large-scale incident in the Jerusalem area and the Shaare Zedek teams were credited by the IDF observers who graded the drill has having performed well and demonstrating necessary levels of preparedness.
Professor Jonathan Halevy, Shaare Zedek Medical Center’s Director General. wished Dr. Merin and the team from the IDF the best of success, saying: “We are confident that your role in the relief effort will contribute significantly to helping these stricken areas at this tragic time and it is reflective of the enormous positive role that Israel has to offer the international community.”
