Sheba Medical Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sheba Medical Center |
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| Geography | |
| Location | Tel HaShomer, Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv District, Israel |
| Coordinates | 32°2′49.75″N 34°50′42.41″E / 32.0471528°N 34.8451139°E |
| Organisation | |
| Affiliated university | Tel Aviv University |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | Yes |
| Helipad | yes |
| Beds | 1,580 |
| History | |
| Founded | 1948 |
The Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer (Hebrew: המרכז הרפואי ע"ש חיים שיבא – תל השומר), also known as Tel HaShomer Hospital, is the largest hospital in Israel. It is located in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, in the Tel HaShomer neighborhood. This hospital is very well-known around the world. In 2020 and 2024, Newsweek magazine said it was the 9th best hospital globally. In 2021, it was ranked 10th. It has consistently been the highest-ranked hospital in Asia or Israel.
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History of Sheba Medical Center
Sheba Medical Center started in 1948. It was Israel's first military hospital. Its job was to help soldiers injured in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. The hospital was built in old army buildings. These buildings were left over from when the British ruled the area. At first, it was called Army Hospital No. 5.
Later, David Ben-Gurion, who was Israel's Prime Minister, changed its name. He called it Tel HaShomer Hospital. In 1953, it became a hospital for everyone, not just soldiers. Dr. Chaim Sheba became its director. After he passed away, the hospital was renamed in his honor. It became the Chaim Sheba Medical Center. Mordechai Shani was the Director General for a very long time, 33 years.
What Sheba Medical Center Does
Sheba Medical Center is huge! It sits on a campus that is about 800 dunams (which is like 200 acres). It has 120 different departments and clinics. The hospital has 1,430 beds for patients. Around 1,250 doctors and 2,300 nurses work there. Many other healthcare workers and staff also help out. Plus, nearly 1,000 volunteers and researchers work there too.
Every year, over 1,000,000 patients visit Sheba. About 200,000 of these visits are for emergencies. The hospital also does more than two million medical tests each year. It has a large annual budget to keep everything running. Sheba also gets help from people around the world who donate money.
Sheba is more than just one hospital. It has many parts:
- An acute care hospital for serious illnesses.
- A rehabilitation hospital, which is one of the biggest in the world. It helps people recover after injuries or illnesses.
- A women's hospital and a children's hospital.
- Special clinics for eating disorders and for soldiers with PTSD.
- A large laboratory and outpatient clinics.
- An academic campus where medical students learn.
Sheba is also home to important national centers. These include the Israel National Center for Health Policy and Epidemiology Research. This center is like the U.S. National Institutes of Health. It also has the Israel National Center for Medical Simulation (MSR). This is where doctors and nurses practice medical procedures. Sheba also holds Israel's National Blood Bank and Cord Blood Bank. The Safra International Congenital Heart Center is also there. Other big centers include the Sheba Cancer Treatment and Research Centers. The Sheba Heart Center was given by Lev Leviev. There is even a hotel, the Shilev Hotel, for patients who are recovering.
Sheba helps patients from all over the Middle East. This includes many children from the Palestinian Authority. The hospital also helps other countries set up their own healthcare systems. Sheba has helped build clinics and centers in Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and other places. They have also sent medical teams to help after disasters in Kosovo, Armenia, and Rwanda. Many patients from the Palestinian Authority and Arab countries come to Sheba for treatment. For example, after a big explosion in Equatorial Guinea, Sheba sent a relief team. They also performed heart surgery on eight Kurdish babies. In 2020, Sheba sent a team to Italy to help with the coronavirus pandemic. They also sent equipment and experts to Uruguay.
In 2021, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Sheba Medical Center agreed to work together. This agreement aims to improve healthcare services for everyone.
Medical Research and Discoveries
Sheba Medical Center does a lot of important medical research in Israel. It works with top universities like the Weizmann Institute of Science and Tel Aviv University. They study many different health topics.
For example, researchers at Sheba have studied how to help women get pregnant after chemotherapy. They also looked at using special stem cells to repair heart tissue after a heart attack. Another study showed that people who use cell phones a lot might have a higher risk of certain tumors. An Israeli company, Ventor Technologies, developed a new heart valve at Sheba. This valve can be put in with a small tube, not open-heart surgery. This invention was sold for a lot of money, and Sheba Medical Center received about 10% of it.
In October 2020, the hospital tested a fast coronavirus test. This test could find parts of the virus and give results in just 2 to 15 minutes.
Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital
The Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital opened in 2002. It was built with help from the Edmond J. Safra Foundation. This part of Sheba Medical Center focuses only on children. It offers many special clinics for kids.
These clinics help with things like:
- Care for premature babies.
- Intensive care for very sick children.
- Treatments for blood cancers and stem cell transplants.
- Surgery for children.
- Care for rare conditions like Louis-Bar syndrome.
- Imaging and radiology.
- Treatments for digestive problems and immune system issues.
The hospital helps children from Israel and from nearby areas like the Palestinian Authority. It also treats children from other parts of the Middle East. More than 60,000 children visit the hospital each year. After the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, the Children's Hospital helped many children who were released as hostages. It was praised for being ready to give them immediate physical and mental care. The hospital also does a lot of research to improve children's health.
Awards and Recognition
Sheba Medical Center is recognized as one of the best hospitals in the world. In 2020, Newsweek magazine ranked it as the 9th-best hospital globally. In 2021, it was ranked 10th. It is known for its high quality of care.
Notable staff
- Moshe Many
- Jacob Sadé
- Eli Schwartz
- Limor Schreibman-Sharir
See also
In Spanish: Centro Médico Sheba para niños
- List of hospitals in Israel
- Health care in Israel
