Storm at Rambam Hospital: Doctor protests against accusations targeting colleagues
Dr. Nitzan Shmueli, who treated four wounded soldiers, addressed the harsh accusations against the hospital staff. "The night was difficult, and Arabs and Jews together saved their lives minute by minute," she stated. Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman-Tov visited the hospital, expressing full support for the management's decision to reject the complaints.
Dr. Nitzan Shmueli, a physician at Rambam Hospital, published a post on Tuesday addressing the harsh accusations leveled against Arab medical staff at the facility. "I am coming off another busy shift in the general intensive care unit with a heavy heart, following an inciting and racist post and the extreme reactions that followed," she wrote.
Dr. Shmueli recounted that she was the doctor who received the four wounded soldiers when a brother of one of them protested the treatment provided. "The night was difficult, and the soldiers required intensive work from the nursing staff—Arabs and Jews alike—who saved their lives minute by minute. I have seen and continue to see how the staff, with compassion, sensitivity, and professionalism, treats all soldiers and patients," she emphasized.
"The gap between the lies online and the reality is unbearable and disturbing," she asserted. "The intensive care staff at Rambam is a cohesive team from all sectors, working around the clock to provide the best care for the wounded." She noted that she understands the frustration of families, as she is the daughter of a disabled IDF veteran, but stressed: "The difficulty is understandable, but it does not justify racism. Do not remain indifferent—racism has no place here."
Meanwhile, Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman-Tov visited the hospital to meet with the families of the wounded and the medical teams. "The trust the health system enjoys stems from the fact that all parts of Israeli society are represented as both caregivers and patients. Our coexistence is not a constraint but an ideal and the secret of our strength," he said.
Bar Siman-Tov added that the hospital management had conducted a professional investigation into the complaints and rejected them. "I give the teams at the hospital my full backing and trust them completely regarding the treatment of every individual," he clarified. He later noted that according to the Central Bureau of Statistics, the health system holds the highest level of public trust.
Additionally, activists from the "Standing Together" (Omdim Beyachad) movement arrived at the hospital to show solidarity with the staff, distributing flowers to the medical teams. Amine Amara, a leadership member of the movement, condemned the "racist attack" on the medical staff, describing it as an attempt to incite further division in society.
Previously, family members of a hospitalized soldier claimed that during a shift change, only Arab staff remained in the department, and that relatives were asked to leave while the doors were locked. The family alleged that one of the soldier's brothers broke down the door out of concern for his condition and accused the staff of mistreating the patient.
