Bikur Cholim Hospital
Bikur Cholim Hospital | |
---|---|
Geography | |
Location | West Jerusalem |
Organisation | |
Care system | Non-profit |
Type | District General |
Affiliated university | Hebrew University of Jerusalem |
Network | Shaare Zedek Medical Center |
Services | |
Emergency department | yes |
Beds | 200 |
History | |
Opened | c. 1826 |
Closed | c. 2020 |
Bikur Cholim Hospital (Hebrew: בית החולים ביקור חולים) was a 200-bed general hospital in West Jerusalem, established in the 19th century[1] and closed due to financial difficulties in the second decade of the 21st century. Until then, it was the oldest hospital in the country still operating.
Bikur Cholim had obstetrics and cardiac departments, a modern
In December 2012 the hospital was taken over by Shaare Zedek Medical Center and continued to function as a branch of Shaare Zedek. The main hospital was then closed down, with the building on Haneviim (Prophets') Street, the maternity ward, which serves the residents of the nearby neighborhoods and various clinics, continuing to operate. At the same time, plans were submitted to the planning authorities for the restoration of the historic structure and its integration into a complex that includes commercial and housing areas. In 2020 the authorities have decided to also close the maternity ward, following guidelines which require such wards be located next to hospitals that can provide special medical services in case they are needed.
History
Old City (c. 1826-1947)
Bikur Cholim opened in a rented building in the
The alley where the hospital stood between 1864 and 1947 is now named after it: Bikur Holim Street, otherwise known as Ṭarīq Ḥāret ash-Sharaf.[6]
New building (1925)
In 1898, during his visit to Jerusalem, German emperor
By 1907, hospitalizations exceeded 1,000 per annum. A decision was reached to build a new hospital outside the walls of the Old City. The cornerstone of the new building was laid in 1912, but construction work was delayed by the outbreak of World War I.
The building on Chancellor Avenue (now Straus Street), just off Jaffa Road, was completed in 1925 and opened its doors to all residents of Jerusalem, Jews and non-Jews. The hospital in the Old City continued to treat the chronically ill until 1947.[5]
Many of the wounded from the
Former German Hospital as maternity ward
The former
Financial difficulties and demise
In 2007, the Russian-Israeli tycoon
The hospital's medical director, Raphael Pollack, said in 2012 that its financial difficulties are due to the system of discounts exacted from the hospitals by health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and debt repayment.[3]
Importance
The location of the hospital in downtown Jerusalem has proven critical in times of emergency. With Jerusalem's other hospitals are located far from the center, Bikur Holim was able to save the lives of many victims of terrorist attacks. According to the head of the emergency ward, "If somebody's life is in danger and they need immediate help, realizing that the brain only has six minutes before it's too late, then 20 minutes is too late. It's coming dead on arrival."[3]
Religious orientation
Situated near the religious neighborhoods of
Architecture
The main wing of the current building was designed by architect Zvi
The former German Deaconesses Hospital, now the Ziv maternity wing of the Bikur Cholim Hospital, was designed by architect Conrad Schick.[8]
When
Notable physicians
- Naomi Amir, founder and head of the pediatric neurology clinic and day-hospital[15]
- Aron Brand, pediatrics
- Helena Kagan, founder and head of the department of pediatrics
See also
- Health care in Israel
References
- ^ a b Gaydamak wants out of Bikur Cholim Hospital
- ^ Turning things around at Bikur Cholim
- ^ a b c "A state of critical condition". Archived from the original on 2012-09-06. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
- ^ ביקור חולים פרושים בירושלים, מחברה לבית חולים
- ^ a b c d Bikur Holim Hospital
- ISBN 978-1-78283-904-0.
Bikur Holim Street, named for the Bikur Holim Jewish hospital that operated here from 1864 to 1947. But the Arabic on the same signs names the alley as Tariq Haret al-Sharaf ('Sharaf Quarter Road').
- ^ Levinson, Jay. "More than a Century Later". No. December 2008 edition. Jewish Magazine. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
- ^ a b Jerusalem-Christian Architecture through the Ages, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1 January 2020. Accessed 3 October 2020.
- ISBN 978-3-11-030629-3.
- ^ Eliyahu Wager (1988). German Hospital. Jerusalem: The Jerusalem Publishing House. p. 189.
{{cite book}}
:|work=
ignored (help) - ^ Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Postpartum and Maternity Wards. Accessed 3 October 2020.
- ^ Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Gynecological and Obstetric Endocrinology. Accessed 3 October 2020.
- ^ "History of Bikur Holim". Archived from the original on 2009-10-17. Retrieved 2009-04-07.
- ^ Reaching new heights, Haaretz
- ^ Moore, Deborah Dash (1 March 2009). "Naomi Amir". Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. Jewish Women's Archive. Retrieved 10 December 2016.