Galilee Medical Center, PO Box 21, Nahariya (2025)

10/12/2025

International Volunteer Day

Meet Galia Mor, 73, one of our 260 incredible Helping Hand for the Patient Association (Y.A.L.) volunteers at Galilee Medical Center,

The Association, a nonprofit organization operates at the Galilee Medical Center under the leadership of Daniela Stern, and its volunteers can be found in nearly every department, unit, and institute, as well as in outpatient clinics.

After retiring from a long career with the Municipality of Nahariya, Galia began volunteering at the medical center with the Miri (Mori) Burkis Oncology Institute Development Fund, helping bring joy to patients, especially during the holidays, and supporting fundraising for cold-cap cooling systems that help prevent hair loss during chemotherapy.

For the past two years, she has also volunteered once a week in the surgical wing cafeteria through the Y.A.L. Association. "I’m an expert at making toast and sandwiches," she says with a smile.

Galia, who also chairs WIZO Nahariya, says volunteering gives her meaning and fulfillment. "I'll keep continue volunteering as long as I have the time and strength."

Galia, thank you, for your dedication, your heart and your service. And thank you to all 260 of our devoted volunteers! 🙏🏼

Photo: Roni Albert

07/12/2025

We’re excited to share some wonderful news! 🎉
Nine physicians from Galilee Medical Center have been included in the 2025 Dun & Bradstreet ranking of Israel’s top medical specialists.
The list highlights leading experts across several fields, including general surgery and plastic surgery, cardiology, gynecology, orthopedics, ENT, ophthalmology, and dentistry.
In the field of gynecology, the following were selected:
• Prof. Lior Lowenstein, Director of the Women and Maternity Division
• Prof. Jacob Bornstein, former Director of the Women and Maternity Department and current head of the Gynecological Research Laboratory at the Medical Center
• In ENT: Dr. Tal Marshak
• In plastic surgery: Dr. Amin Abu Jabal
• And in oral and maxillofacial surgery, jaw surgery, and dental medicine:
• Prof. Samer Srouji, Director of the Center
• Prof. Oded Nahlieli
• Dr. Iris Slutzky-Goldberg
• Dr. Eldad Sharon
• Dr. Daniel Morienos
Dun & Bradstreet, under its Dun’s100 brand, ranks leading companies and institutions in the Israeli market. Dun’s100 is widely regarded as the most professional, objective, and reliable ranking in Israel.
We are so proud of our team and grateful for their ongoing commitment to providing the highest level of care to our community

04/12/2025

“My greatest satisfaction is helping to ease a patient’s pain by accurately identifying the underlying issue — something that can sometimes even save lives.”
So says Ehab Matta, Clinical Pain Specialist Nurse and Pain Coordinator at Galilee Medical Center, 36, from Mi’ilya. He is married to Dr. Sanaa, a pediatric resident, and father of two.

In addition to his role in pain coordination, this year he completed his training as a Clinical Pain Specialist Nurse — an advanced position with broad clinical authority that enables in-depth assessments, professional decision-making, and personalized treatment tailored to each patient’s needs.

➡️ What is the main focus of your work?
“I advise medical and nursing teams in assessing patients with pain across all departments, tailoring treatment to each patient’s clinical condition, age, and sensitivities. I also write pain-management protocols and guidelines adapted for different populations. In addition, I oversee the pain champions in the departments and clinics, help implement pain-related work processes, and monitor quality indicators.”

➡️ What gives you the most fulfillment?
“True fulfillment comes from the human encounters with patients. When a patient says to me, ‘Ehab, please help me, I’m in pain,’ and the next day — when I return — they look calm and relaxed, able to get out of bed, and say, ‘Thank you so much, God bless you,’ that is the moment I understand why I’m in this role. That sense of mission is what guides me — it’s the heart of the profession.”

➡️ A final message?
“The unique combination of my work as a registered nurse — with 14 years of experience in an internal medicine department and in management roles — together with my work as a clinical specialist, gives me a broad, multi-system perspective. This perspective enables me to reach accurate assessments and reduce pain, ultimately providing real relief to the patient.”

We are proud of you and deeply appreciate your work, dear Ehab! 🙏🏼

28/11/2025

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women was marked at Galilee Medical Center with a moving and meaningful event.
Opening the day, the Medical Center’s Director, Prof. Masad Barhoum, stated:
“Violence is not an inevitable fate. As part of the healthcare system and the community, we have a human duty to break the cycle of violence and create a safer, more just reality. We witness the consequences of violence every day—physical, emotional, and societal—and our responsibility goes beyond treating victims. We must be active partners in a moral and social struggle to prevent violence.”
Following his remarks, Prof. Barhoum signed the Medical Center’s Gender Equality Vision Statement, affirming that the hospital views gender equality as a core value essential to quality care, professional excellence, and organizational resilience. The statement includes a commitment to fostering a respectful, safe, and violence-free work environment.
The vision further notes the Medical Center’s commitment to serving as a leading model within Israel’s healthcare system in promoting women to management and leadership roles, supporting work–life balance, and cultivating a culture of inclusion, partnership, and diversity.
The program continued with a lecture by Salit Edwards, Director of the Social Work Department, and Moran Meiri, a hospital social worker, titled “Red Flags in Intimate Partner and Family Violence.”
The day concluded with a powerful talk by Keren Goldstein, a nurse in the Child and Family Guidance Unit, who shared the story of her close friend, the late Ravit Gal Nechmad, who was murdered six months ago by her partner.
The event was organized and moderated by Smadar Ocampo, the Medical Center’s Gender Equality and Sexual Harassment Prevention Officer.
Photos: Roni Albert

27/11/2025

🌟New “Afik” Educational Center Building Inaugurated at Galilee Medical Center🌟
This week, we celebrated the inauguration of the new home of the Afik Educational Center at the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, a festive and moving milestone for our community.
This important project was made possible through collaboration of the Municipality of Nahariya, the Ministry of Education, and the Friends of the Galilee Medical Center Association, which secured a major contribution in memory of the late Gedalya Doron, a respected businessman and industrialist. Additional support came from the ICA Foundation, Equashield, the Jewish Federation of Louisville, and the Laurie Kayden Foundation of New York.
The Afik Educational Center provides an educational-therapeutic framework for hospitalized children and adolescents (ages 6 to 18), ensuring continuity of learning and emotional support throughout their hospital stay. The center operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Education and is recognized for its professional excellence and compassionate care.
Prof. Masad Barhoum, Director of the Medical Center, delivered opening remarks at the ceremony celebrating the new facility. He was joined by Dr. Orna Simchon, Director of the Ministry of Education’s Northern District; Raya Strauss Ben-Dror, President of the Friends of GMC; Ronen Marelly, Mayor of Nahariya; Yael Kopel, founder and longtime director of the Educational Center; its current director, Orit Melina; and Attorney Michael Oseasohn, representing one of the main donors.
Prof. Barhoum emphasized that the new building will significantly enhance the educational and therapeutic environment for young patients and expressed deep gratitude to all partners and donors who made this vision a reality. The ceremony concluded with the unveiling of the building's entrance plaque and the affixing of the mezuzah by Nahariya's Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Yeshayahu Meitlis.
Photos: Roni Albert
עמותת ידידי המרכז הרפואי לגליל

25/11/2025

Saluting Our Pharmacists!

The pharmacy profession often works behind the scenes and is sometimes perceived as “in the background,” despite its tremendous importance. Every day, the skilled and responsible work of our pharmacists helps save lives and directly impacts the quality of care our patients receive.

At our Medical Center’s Pharmacy Department, one of our largest and most diverse departments, pharmacists play a vital role across all hospital divisions, units, institutes, and clinics.

In honor of Pharmacist Day, recently marked worldwide, we wish to recognize and celebrate our exceptional pharmacists.

Our Pharmacy Division includes 16 pharmacists and 10 additional team members and national service volunteers, led by Pharmacy Director Kamil Harish. The team provides medication dispensing and preparation, alongside professional pharmaceutical consultation.

In recent years, the Pharmacy has been undergoing significant growth and development, including the adoption of advanced technologies, participation in clinical research, and the construction of a state-of-the-art clean room for sterile preparations that meets the highest standards.

Our pharmacists hold a wide variety of essential specialties:
🔸 Departmental pharmacists oversee medication orders, monthly audits, and daily support for clinical teams.
🔸 The NICU pharmacist is part of the multidisciplinary neonatal team and prepares individualized pharmaceutical formulations for our tiniest patients.
🔸 The clinical research pharmacist manages research medications arriving at the hospital.
🔸 Clinical pharmacists provide expert consultation to our medical teams.
🔸 Pharmacists in the Sterile Preparations Unit prepare life-saving biological treatments.

“The pharmacist plays a central role in preventing treatment errors, identifying incorrect dosages, detecting drug interactions, and adjusting doses based on kidney function. Pharmaceutical consultation is an essential and inseparable part of the patient-care continuum at our Medical Center,” summarizes Pharmacy Director Kamil Harish.

Photo: Roni Albert

23/11/2025

Advancing Medical Collaboration: Professional Exchange and Community Engagement in Budapest
Dr. Khaled Attala, Director of the Emergency Department at Galilee Medical Center (GMC), and Ms. Aya Kagade, Director of the International Affairs Department at GMC and the Israeli Co-Chair of the Partnership2Gether Western Galilee (P2G) Medical Committee, spent three meaningful and productive days in Budapest, taking part in a rich series of professional and community activities.
Each stop on their visit highlighted the power of medical expertise, professional knowledge, human connection, and shared values. Over the course of three days, both Dr. Attala and Ms. Kagade, gave numerous lectures and presentations, leaving a strong impression on every audience they met.
A highlight of the visit was their tour of NATO’s Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine, where Dr. Atallah delivered a lecture on the medical center’s emergency operations, with particular emphasis on the recent war and the many challenges the center successfully faced. They then took part in a professional discussion with the Brigadier General Dr. Jens Diehm, Director of NATO MILMED COE, and senior command staff, who expressed deep appreciation for the medical center’s conduct during the conflict.

The delegation also gave additional lectures at St. Francis Hospital, where they met with management and staff members, and at the local Jewish Cultural Center, and visited Mazsihisz Charity Hospital. Further, they met with Dr. Zoltán Háberman’s social work students at the Budapest Jewish University (OR-ZSE) and held an interactive session with high-school students from the Lauder School, sharing with them the unique social mosaic of our medical center, which includes employees from all faiths.

Dr. Atallah and Ms. Kagade also toured the Emergency Department of the Honvéd Military Hospital and met with Israeli medical students studying at Semmelweis University.
Throughout their visit, they met with prominent leaders of Budapest’s Jewish community as well as local P2G volunteers.
A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Assaf Shemesh, Director of Mazsihisz Charity Hospital and the Hungarian Co-Chair of P2G Medical Committee, for his pivotal support in making this impactful visit possible!
Partnership2Gether Budapest

19/11/2025

A Medical Breakthrough for the Western Galilee:
Advanced, Innovative Treatment for Chronic Headaches—Electrode Implantation Performed at Galilee Medical Center

The Pain Unit at Galilee Medical Center has successfully completed a first-of-its-kind procedure in the Galilee—and one of the few in northern Israel—implanting an electrode on the occipital nerve using an advanced and innovative technique (the Slavin approach).

The procedure was performed by Dr. Mokbil Mokbil, Director of the Pain Unit, together with Dr. Vadim Tashlykov, Director of the parallel unit at Assuta Ashdod. During the operation, an electrode was implanted directly onto the occipital nerves (Occipital Nerve Stimulation), located in the back of the head near the skull and neck.

The implanted electrode delivers electrical stimulation to these nerves, significantly reducing both the intensity and frequency of pain. In many cases, it can also improve sleep quality and restore quality of life for patients.

This permanent implantation reduces the need for repeated anesthesia and additional surgical intervention. It is performed under fluoroscopic guidance using a lateral approach—in contrast to previous methods—allowing the patient to lie on their side rather than on their stomach. This provides a stable, controlled position with optimal anatomical access to the nerves and electrode placement area.

The treatment is intended for patients suffering from neuropathic headaches (chronic pain caused by damage to the nervous system) or persistent, treatment-resistant chronic headaches. Many such patients continue to experience daily pain even after exhausting conservative therapies.

“Chronic headaches are not a life sentence,” says Dr. Mokbil. “Until now, patients in our region who needed this innovative treatment were forced to travel far and face long waiting times. From today, they can receive this advanced care close to home, from an experienced team backed by top-level imaging and minimally invasive surgical capabilities.”

📌 Contact Information:
Phone: 04-9107850
WhatsApp (messages only): 052-3339092
Email: pain@gmc.gov.il

18/11/2025

World Prematurity Day: The NICU is where miracles happen every single day!
This week, we joined the global community in marking World Prematurity Day — a moment to raise awareness for the 10% of babies born early or with low birth weight, and to celebrate the dedicated teams who care for them.
That’s why it was important for us to pause our routine and mark the day,” explains Dr. Vered Fleisher Sheffer, Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), who leads the unit together with Head Nurse Svetlana Sirotkin and a diverse, multidisciplinary team.

The team includes nearly 40 nurses, around 10 physicians and residents, and professionals from a wide range of fields such as occupational therapy, social work, physiotherapy, nutrition, and psychology.

One of the newer roles in the NICU is the nurse specialist, currently held by Zoya Markovitz. “My work is very clinical. I perform neonatal resuscitation, additional invasive procedures, and receive the newborn in the delivery room — essentially, everything a doctor does,” says 43-year-old Zoya from Nahariya.

“What makes this role so unique,” she adds, “is the bridge it creates between the medical and nursing teams. I bring 17 years of experience as a registered nurse in the department, combined with the medical training I’ve undergone.”

She recalls an especially emotional moment when she was urgently called to a delivery room to perform life-saving resuscitation on a newborn girl. “Afterward, she remained in a very fragile condition, and to my great relief, she has recently been weaned off the ventilator.”

Along the way, like the rest of the NICU staff, she collects countless moving moments. “When I see a baby, who was extremely small and critically ill begin to recover — and then be held by their mother in the kangaroo position (skin-to-skin contact designed to support premature infants and enhance their development) — it deeply moves me, sometimes even to tears.”
This special day, we honored our incredible staff, the families, and above all, our premature babies who show us the meaning of strength and resilience.

18/11/2025

Proud to share this piece on Israeli insights into wartime emergency medicine, following a meaningful education and professional development event at NATO MILMED COE in Budapest.
Dr. Khaled Atalla our Emergency Department Director, offered an in-depth look at the complexities of providing medical care in conflict settings. His visit to Hungary reflects the growing partnership between Galilee Medical Center and NATO’s medical community.
A special appreciation to Aya Kagade, Director of International Affairs, whose ongoing commitment to advancing cooperation was essential to the event’s success.
Grateful to NATO MILMED COE, Dr. Assaf Shemesh, Deputy Head of the Emergency Department at the North Pest Central Hospital/Military Hospital, and the Director of the MAZSIHISZ Charity Hospital for facilitating the event, and to everyone involved for fostering such impactful collaboration.
Read the whole article here:
https://www.coemed.org/news-and-events/israeli-insights-into-wartime-emergency-medicine
NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine
Partnership2Gether Western Galilee
Partnership2Gether Budapest

16/11/2025

Usually, diabetes is a silent disease. Many people walk around with high blood sugar (glucose) levels without realizing they are ill. Do you or your loved ones often feel low energy or constant fatigue, suffer from excessive thirst or itchy skin—and aren’t sure what it means?

Approximately 700,000 people in Israel are living with , considered one of the major epidemics of our time.
Dr. Amir Baskin, Director of the Endocrinology and Diabetes Unit at our medical center, explains—on the occasion of World Diabetes Day, marked these days—that the American Diabetes Association recommends a blood sugar (glucose) test every three years for anyone over the age of 35.

“There is a direct link between obesity, lack of physical activity, and stress—and the development of diabetes,” he says. “One of the major breakthroughs in recent years is the introduction of weight-loss injections, which play an important role in preventing or managing diabetes. However, without incorporating physical activity and a protein-rich diet alongside these injections, muscle mass decreases, creating a vicious cycle. When muscle mass drops, stopping the injections is likely to lead to rapid weight regain.”

And now, an important update for residents of our region: soon, the Endocrinology and Diabetes Unit at our medical center will introduce an advanced device for monitoring muscle mass. This device will track patients’ muscle composition—particularly for those using weight-loss injections. Something to look forward to!

In the meantime, type 2 diabetes is not inevitable. A healthy lifestyle—reducing sweets and refined carbohydrates, engaging in regular physical activity, getting sufficient sleep, and lowering stress levels—is the most effective recipe for diabetes prevention.

Wishing everyone good health!

Pictured: The staff of the Endocrinology and Diabetes Unit
Photo: Roni Albert

16/11/2025

Genetic Counseling Awareness Day at Galilee Medical Center: A Rare Profession Even Artificial Intelligence Can’t Replace

Genetic counselors help individuals and families understand hereditary and genetic conditions, plan wisely during pregnancy and beyond, and choose the most appropriate course of care. “Sometimes, with the right referral for the right test, we can prevent the birth of a baby with a severe, incurable disease,” says Dr. Nehama Cohen-Kefir, a genetic counselor at Galilee Medical Center, where unique, population-tailored screening tests are available.

“When a happy couple arrives with a healthy baby, it makes every step of the journey worthwhile,” says Dr. (PhD) Necama Cohen-Kefir, one of four genetic counselors at Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, speaking on the occasion of Genetic Counseling Awareness Day, marked today (Thursday, 13/11).

So what exactly does a genetic counselor do—and why is it important for all of us?

Genetic counselors help patients understand hereditary and genetic conditions and guide them in making informed decisions during pregnancy and after. They explain hereditary diseases or traits, clarify inheritance patterns, and support patients in selecting the most appropriate evaluations or treatments.

“There are quite a few genetic diseases that are unique to our region, and the genetic institute’s familiarity with the local population is a major advantage,” explains Dr. Cohen-Kefir.“ Sometimes, simply by knowing the extended family history, we can direct couples to the specific test they need—helping them choose the most suitable assessment and, in some cases, prevent the heartbreaking birth of a child with a severe, incurable disease.”

The institute welcomes young couples planning to start a family, pregnant women whose ultrasounds or tests have revealed unusual findings, and families with suspected hereditary conditions (such as familial cancer).

Genetic counseling provides clarity, confidence, and control. Often, a simple test can prevent years of anxiety—or help identify a problem early enough to take the right action.

“Many times, our conversations flow beyond medical issues into deeply personal discussions. I sometimes even feel like a couples’ counselor,” Dr. Cohen-Kefir says with a smile.

In Israel, only a few dozen certified genetic counselors are currently employed. Most are graduates of one of three training programs—at the Technion, Tel Aviv University, or Hadassah Ein Kerem.

The institute’s director, Dr. Tova Hershkovitz, summarizes: “Genetic counseling is a unique profession that blends deep scientific knowledge with exceptional human sensitivity—something even artificial intelligence cannot replace.”

The Genetic Institute at Galilee Medical Center offers advanced, highly reliable, population-specific screening tests. Any couple planning to grow their family is welcome to come for a screening test—no appointment needed.

For genetic counseling, please contact: genetica@gmc.gov.il
Photo: Genetic counselors: Necama Cohen Kfir, Yael Abarbanel Har-Tal, Gali Ben-Gad and Shikma Mordechai/Credit: Roni Albert

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