Israeli doctors herald ‘British footprint’ in funding specialist infants medical centre

Hospital doctors in Israel have paid tribute to Jewish benefactors in Britain for helping to build a $120 million, centre for mothers and infants.

The specialist paediatric facility, opened last week at the Shaare Zedek Medical Centre in Jerusalem, showcases cutting-edge equipment in maternity, infant and child medical care, with the new-baby unit now one of the largest in the world.

“There is a strong British footprint, and we are immensely proud of that,” said Shaare Zedek’s UK director Simi Ben Hur. “From major donors to school and synagogue fundraising, this has been a truly communal project.”

At eight stories high, the new building has been trumpeted by hospital bosses as “one of the most ambitious development projects in our history” and aims to provide comprehensive care to mother and baby under one roof.

Fundraising began in 2007 and attracted some of the biggest names in Jewish philanthropy, including Maurice Wohl, who personally approved the project before his death.  

Among the new facilities is the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), which can care for up to 70 babies at any time, with state-of-the-art ‘giraffe incubators’ for the most poorly children.