Our Joint Training Programme

Bringing Palestinian and Israeli together

Many of you who have been supporters of the Eye Hospital Group for a while will know of our Joint Training Programme with the Hadassah Medical Centre in Israeli West Jerusalem that has been running since 2001. 

Eleven years into the project, Jerusalem Scene thought it might be timely to remind our readership of the wonderful dialogue between East and West Jerusalem that is made possible by this ground-breaking venture. 

Indeed, what many of you will not know is that the project has recently been extended to include a relationship with the Shaare Zedek Medical Centre.

Completed in 1979, this massive hospital complex is made up of ten interconnected buildings situated on an 11-acre campus opposite Mount Herzl – although Shaare Zedek has been delivering medical care to the people of Jerusalem since it opened its doors as a 20-bed hospital on Jaffa Road in 1902. 

Since moving to its current location, Shaare Zedek has become an important, multi-disciplinary hospital with a worldwide reputation.  Fully affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University, it is also a much respected teaching hospital.

In January 2011, our own Dr Waleed Abu Dayeh began a one year, full-time Medical Retina Fellowship at Shaare Zedek. 

Dr Abu Dayeh joined the staff at SJEHG as an Ophthalmologist in 2006 after completing his basic medical and ophthalmic training in the Ukraine.  In January this year, he was able to return to us as a Medical Retinal Specialist. 

The original, three-year Joint Training Programme with our colleagues at the Hadassah Medical Centre was initiated and funded by The Peres Centre for Peace in 2001.  

Founded in 1996 by Nobel Peace Laureate and current President of Israel Shimon Peres, the Peres Centre's peace-building activities derive from four main principles, including People-to-People Dialogue and Capacity-Building through Cooperation. 

As the project permitted our Residents to benefit from the outstanding educational opportunities at Hadassah, when its funding expired, we negotiated a continuing relationship with Hadassah that we have sought funding for ourselves ever since. 

Cultivating such a relationship has been beneficial to SJEHG in other ways.  Hadassah does certain pathology examinations for us free of charge and, should we require a second opinion in cases of suspected Retinal Blastoma, these too are referred to Hadassah.  SJEHG does not have a cancer specialist and does not offer radiation or chemotherapy. 

The person at the Jerusalem Hospital on the cutting edge of this important East/West dialogue is Medical Co-ordinator, Maureen Meo.  Assistant to Medical Director, Dr Jeanne Garth, Maureen’s duties include managing referrals to Hadassah and organising the all-important travel permits that are required by patients or staff travelling from the West Bank.  She has met personally with the Israeli security team at Hadassah and enjoys a good relationship with them. 

Fulfilling the original Peres Centre mandate, our Teaching Programme with Hadassah and Shaare Zedek continues to succeed in a number of very key areas.  It permits local trainee doctors to experience the very latest ophthalmic theories and techniques, thereby developing and ensuring the sustainability of quality eye-care in the oPt.  It thus helps to alleviate the high levels of poverty, permitting individuals to play a productive role in the local economy.

And – lest we forget – it helps to support peace by bringing Palestinian and Israeli together.