Medical practice knows no borders connecting cultures, beliefs, and worldviews. Recently, two physicians from Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam) in Haifa, Israel, traveled to Georgia to perform specialized orthopedic surgeries on patients from Jordan, Greece, Ukraine, and Russia.
To reach populations that lack access to specialized medical expertise, Professor Mark Eidelman, director of the Pediatric Orthopedics Unit at Rambam, periodically performs surgeries in various Eastern European countries. Patients—selected in advance—travel from different countries for complex, life-changing orthopedic procedures and surgeries.
Over the course of a single weekend, Eidelman and Dr. Pavel Kotlyarsky, a senior pediatric orthopedic surgeon in the Pediatric Orthopedics Unit, assisted by a local medical team, operated on children from Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, Greece, and Jordan.
Professor Eidelman and Dr Kotlyarsky with the medical team in Georgia
Photo: Rambam HCC
Since October 7, tensions between Israel and Jordan have heightened, but in medical practice, political and cultural differences are put aside. This sentiment encapsulates the extraordinary scenario that unfolded at a hospital in Georgia.
Two and a half years ago, Eidelman first met, seven-year-old Amal* and her family from Amman, Jordan. Despite the boundaries and borders, they have maintained a good relationship.
“I operated on Amal last year at Rambam, after planning the procedure for a year,” says Eidelman. “The surgery was successful, but follow-up treatment was needed.” To that end, the family had been scheduled to return to Rambam in August, but due to the growing tensions between Israel and Jordan, they hesitated. “We agreed to meet in Georgia where we would perform the follow-up procedure,” Eidelman adds.
Photo: Professor Eidelman with Amal and a family member at Rambam
Photo: Rambam HCC
The Rambam physicians also performed an intricate surgery on a 16-year-old Ukrainian girl who had traveled to Georgia six months earlier; she had remained there, fearing the lack of a second opportunity for hip joint reconstruction. “In what is considered to be one of the most complex procedures in orthopedics, we reconstruct the hip joint by realigning it via three cuts in the pelvis,” explains Eidelman.
“It doesn’t matter where I or my patients come from; these children need my help, and I am the one who can give them a better life,” concludes Eidelman.
*Name changed to protect her identity