Shamir Medical Center, formerly Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, is a hospital located on , southeast of Tel Aviv, Israel.

History

The Medical Center was named after

Asaph the Jew Asaph the Jew ( ''Assaf HaYehudi''), also known as Asaph ben Berechiah and Asaph the Physician ( ''Asaph HaRofe'') is a figure mentioned in the ancient Jewish medical text the '' Sefer Refuot'' (lit. “Book of Medicines”). Thought by some to have ...

, author of the Oath of Asaph and an early medical text. The facility was established in 1918 as a

military hospital A military hospital is a hospital owned and operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

in the closing days of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It was located adjacent to the sprawling British military base in

Tzrifin Tzrifin ( he, צְרִיפִין) is an area in Gush Dan (Dan Region) in central Israel, located on the eastern side of Rishon LeZion and including parts of Be'er Ya'akov. The area proper is defined as an 'area without jurisdiction' between the two ...

(Sarafand). After the creation of the State of Israel, it was converted to an Israeli hospital. In July 2008, Israeli Olympic fencer

Delila Hatuel Delila Hatuel ( he, דלילה חטואל; born November 15, 1980) is an Israeli Olympic foil fencer. She represented Israel at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and has been ranked ninth in the world. Biography Delila Hatuel born in Acre, Israel. ...

underwent treatment in the

hyperbaric oxygen chamber A diving chamber is a vessel for human occupation, which may have an entrance that can be sealed to hold an internal pressure significantly higher than ambient pressure, a pressurised gas system to control the internal pressure, and a supply of ...

at the hospital to speed healing from a torn

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...

. She was able to compete at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

in Beijing the following month. The hospital was renamed after the former Israeli prime minister

Yitzhak Shamir Yitzhak Shamir ( he, יצחק שמיר, ; born Yitzhak Yezernitsky; October 22, 1915 – June 30, 2012) was an Israeli politician and the seventh Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms, 1983–1984 and 1986–1992. Before the establishment ...

in April 2017.

Services

It is one of Israel's largest hospitals, with over 800 beds. It serves over 370,000 people in Israel's Central District. As a teaching facility, the hospital is part of the

Sackler Faculty of Medicine Sackler Faculty of Medicine is a medical school affiliated with Tel Aviv University, located in Tel Aviv, Israel. History The Sackler School of Medicine was named for Arthur, Mortimer and Raymond Sackler, and was founded and named prior to the ...

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

. On its grounds are the first and largest Israeli academic nursing school and the oldest Israeli school of

physiotherapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...

References

{{Coord, 31, 57, 59.76, N, 34, 50, 23.21, E, type:landmark, display=title Hospitals established in 1918 Hospitals in Israel Medical education in Israel Teaching hospitals Buildings and structures in Central District (Israel) 1918 establishments in British-administered Palestine