Rabin Medical Center shuts the lights on the returning hostage ward as the last returning hostage goes home
As a symbol marking the end of an incredibly painful era, the Rabin Medical Center's Returning Hostage Ward turned off the lights and shut the ward down as the last of the returning hostages went home.
Over the past two years, the Returning Hostage Ward, led by Dr. Noa Eliakim-Raz, treated 40 of the released hostages. Dr. Eliakim-Raz and her team had to create an entirely new protocol in the treatment of these individuals. With no previous medical groundwork, they basically created a protocol from ground zero, building and adjusting as more information and more individuals returned.
Dr. Noa Eliakim-Raz, Co-Director, Returning Hostages Rehabilitation Clinic
"We built that. It is a new medicine. There is no 'hostages' medicine. It is not a field you learn in medical school."
While the Returning Hostage Ward is closed, the healing is far from over. Dr. Eliakim-Raz has now transitioned to the position of Co-Director of the Rehabilitation of Returning Hostage Clinic. This clinic is specifically designed to continue the long-term rehabilitation that these individuals require.
As studies from past released hostages during the Yom Kippur War, the damage is extensive and lifelong.
Dr. Eliakim-Raz stated, "You can see that no only the psychological influence, but also the physical influences like they have more heart disease, more dental problems, and even premature aging, even for decades forward."
As the Rabin Medical Center moves to the next stage of caring and treating for the released hostages, it continues to be, as Dr. Eliakim-Raz states, "The main thing is to bring them back to their life."