Erez Barenboim, CEO of Ashdod Hospital, and Ran Sa’ar, Chairman of Samson Assuta Hospital and Chairman of Maccabi Healthcare Services, were presented with the Jerusalem Post Award for serving on the front lines of medical defense for Israel’s Southern region at the Jerusalem Post Conference in New York on Monday.
Barenboim said that Assuta Ashdod has aimed to set new standards for public hospitals in Israel. “On October 7,” he said, “that vision was tested in ways we never anticipated.”
Assuta is located just 20 miles from the Gaza border and quickly found itself on the front lines of the war. At 10:00 AM on October 7, Barenboim recounted that the first wounded patients from the Nova music festival began arriving. “Within hours, helicopters were landing with injured civilians and soldiers. Our emergency protocols were activated, and our staff responded with speed, precision, and compassion.”
Over the following months, Assuta Ashdod treated hundreds of casualties, performed countless surgeries, and provided psychological support to patients and staff alike. Barenboim reported that doctors at Assuta saved nearly 96% of critically wounded patients, an outcome which he said, “reflects not just skill, but soul.”
In accepting the award on behalf of the hospital, Barenboim said, “This award reflects not just what we did, but what we became – a sanctuary of healing, of innovation, unity, and hope. We are grateful for honoring us. We remain committed to excellence, compassion, and the belief that every human life matters.”
After receiving the award, Barenboim and Sa’ar participated in an onstage interview. Barenboim stated that while cutting-edge technology and innovation are essential in medicine, empathy and putting the patient first make the difference. “Our skilled healthcare professionals not only bring their medical skills and expertise, but they also bring empathy, which they deliver in each patient interaction. We try to work beyond the medical protocols and ensure that each patient feels seen, heard, and supported during their care journey in the hospital.”
Sa’ar noted that no hospital had been built in Israel for forty-five years, until Assuta Ashdod opened in 2017. “We decided that the right thing to do was to bring the most advanced medicine to the South of Israel.” He pointed out that medicine is moving from a one-size-fits-all model to precise medicine, with specific treatments tailored for each patient. “In Israel, we are working towards precise medicine with everyone’s full genome, epigenetics, and of course, all the history and data.
“We have an advantage because we have data going back for many years about our patients. We’re building a system in which we can deliver precise medicine. We’ll do it within Maccabi Health Services, which is the second-largest HMO in Israel, and we’ll do it in Assuta Ashdod.”
This article was written as part of media coverage of the Jerusalem Post’s New York Conference