JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli medical experts in the rehabilitation of amputees arrived in Haiti to help examine and evaluate injured victims from the devastating earthquake.
The medical professionals from Alyn Hospital, an Israeli rehabilitation center in Jerusalem for physically disabled children and adolescents, arrived in Haiti Wednesday under the auspices of IsraAID, a coordinating body of Israeli and Jewish relief organizations and other interested parties based in Israel. The team will examine and evaluate the type and number of injuries and amputations, as well as assess the abilities of the medical staff in Haiti to carry out the rehabilitation of its people.
“We are terribly saddened by the heartbreaking number of amputees in Haiti, but are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of IsraAID’s mission so that we can lend our expertise in rehabilitation to the people who need it most,” said Dr. Shirley Meyer, director-general of Alyn Hospital. “Our therapists will make a ground assessment of the rehabilitation and resources needed.
Meyer said that Alyn would provide rehabilitation to Haitian children and training to the island nation’s medical professionals if a decision is made to bring them to Israel.
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