It's time to focus on rehabilitating those wounded in Israel-Hamas war - opinion

Since October 7, “rehabilitation,” has become a new buzzword. In the difficult and unfortunate circumstances of war, everyone in the world of medicine is talking about the importance of rehabilitation and its contribution to improving the physical and emotional functioning of the individual.

The war presents Israel with a major challenge: ensuring the optimal recovery of the thousands who have been wounded, physically disabled, or traumatized by the events of October 7 and the subsequent war.

For years, rehabilitation medicine was, unjustifiably, relegated to the minor leagues of the medical world, even though the field is critical to a person’s health, especially during a crisis. It is a window of opportunity to return to functional independence in all aspects of life: employment, family, leisure, relationship, community, and more.

The different aspects of rehabilitation 

Rehabilitation involves several professional teams, including doctors, nurses, and therapists in all healthcare professions, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, social work, nutrition, rehabilitation psychology, complementary medicine, and more. 

They improve the physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning of the patients to enable them to return to an optimal quality of life.

Rehabilitation is particularly important for those who have undergone life-changing events such as accidents, strokes, fractures, contusions, or surgeries. Now, more so than ever, thousands of those wounded in the war need rehabilitation services.

The war caught rehabilitative medicine in Israel in a state of depletion after years of dealing with underfunding and a severe shortage of doctors, therapists, and physical infrastructure (primarily hospital beds).

Rehabilitation and geriatrics continue to be among the least desired medical specialization fields, despite the great demand for these services. The Health Ministry defines them as professions in distress.

The need for experts in these fields is expected to increase dramatically, given the constant rise in life expectancy. 

For example, in 2030, the number of elderly people in Israel is expected to reach 1.5 million (about 13% of the Israeli population). Already today, a third of those hospitalized in rehabilitation wards are over 65 years old. As life expectancy continues to grow, so will the number of those in need of rehabilitation.

Throughout my years at Reuth, I have seen the impact of inadequate rehabilitation. It has serious consequences for the future of the patient, his/her family, and their quality of life.

Inability to function independently can seriously harm an individual’s self-image and sense of self-worth. It may lead to depressive states to the point of complete withdrawal from society. This is true for people of all ages.

In the six months that have passed since the outbreak of the war, I see Israel’s story in the inspiring journeys of the wounded recuperating at the Reuth Tel Aviv Rehabilitation Hospital and the elderly living in the sheltered housing complexes we manage. 

They include victims of the war who bravely risked their lives for our safety and continue to wage a determined and persistent struggle in rehabilitation. 

Alongside them are the residents of our protected housing, some of whom are Holocaust survivors and others who have lost loved ones in the war. They now require comprehensive support from our teams.

IT WAS particularly moving to see our healthcare teams mobilize at the outbreak of the war. A tremendous effort was invested in adapting the hospital infrastructure to admit more of the wounded and improving the hospital’s security measures.

Reuth Tel Aviv Rehabilitation Hospital, affiliated with Tel Aviv University, provides 15% of the total inpatient rehabilitation beds in Israel and accounts for one third of the day care rehabilitation services in Israel today. 

In addition to providing rehabilitation to the wounded, we faced an increase in the demand for outpatient rehabilitation treatments among individuals whose conditions were exacerbated due to the war, including eating disorders, pain syndromes, and sexual dysfunction.

Since the war did not spare anyone, one of the questions that preoccupies our employees at the hospital and sheltered housing is “how can I support the tenants and patients when I, too, am struggling?” This is where the personal resilience of our employees is measured – their tremendous professionalism and empathy enable them to continue their work to rebuild the lives of the injured and provide an optimal quality of life to our residents.

For the past seven months, I have been dividing my time between reserve service as an officer in one of the elite divisions of the IDF, work, and my supportive family. 

It fills me with great pride to have the privilege to take part in the defense of Israel and to lead a public organization that provides answers to thousands of patients, injured, and elderly residents every month.

We now embark on a project of national importance to establish a new campus for the Reuth Tel Aviv Rehabilitation Hospital, which currently operates in old infrastructure that is struggling to accommodate its existing activity and cannot address the challenges of the future.

The future rehabilitation campus, which will be the largest in Israel, will respond to the country’s growing rehabilitation needs, especially in light of the war and the thousands of victims who need prolonged rehabilitation.

The campus will be built in the Sde Dov area in North Tel Aviv, in full partnership with the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa and the Tel Aviv Foundation. It will play a crucial part in promoting Israel as a beacon of medical excellence and innovation in the coming decades.

The writer is the CEO of Reuth Tel Aviv Rehabilitation Hospital.