Israeli paediatricians train at RCH

TWO Israeli paediatricians have received specialised training at the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) in Melbourne which they will apply in their medical work on their return to Israel.

The pair, Dr Foad Alsana and Dr Dafna Idan-Prusak, have undergone developmental training in paediatrics at the RCH, thanks to a major fundraising boost by AUSiMED, an organisation set up in 2012 to facilitate knowledge exchange and medical research collaborations between Australia and Israel.

AUSiMED CEO Roz Kaldor-Aroni said the funds became available through a decision by philanthropists Graham Smorgon and his family to extend a multi-year grant for the Goshen Project in Israel.

Goshen is an Israeli initiative transforming health care for young children in Israel, particularly in disadvantaged areas. In bringing new knowledge about developmental paediatrics into medical care for Israeli children, Goshen programs train paediatricians in Israel to identify children suffering from developmental issues, she explained.

“These paediatricians work with the child and the child’s family to improve outcomes by enlisting support from other health care providers, social services, allied health care professionals and educators. This approach is completely new in Israel,” she said.

Smorgon and his family were keen to continue their support of the Goshen program since becoming involved in 2014. The GBM Group chair said, “Goshen’s goal of improving the health and development of children in disadvantaged communities is very strongly aligned with our family values.”

The two paediatricians were familiarised with the RCH Community Child Health Centre’s extensive activity in research and development of community programs, as well as in community advocacy, and were closely mentored by Professor Frank Oberklaid, the centre’s founder and director.

Idan-Prusak said that during the RCH training, “we were exposed to a whole new way of looking at improving outcomes for children, and acquired clinical tools and skills to enable us to identify and manage children with a range of problems that hindered their development and stopped them from reaching their full potential”.

Renewal of the multi-year funding from the GBM Group and the ongoing partnership with AUSiMED ensures that Goshen can move to the next stage of its vision for transforming the design and delivery of child health care in Israel.

Goshen will open two new centres, one in the north and the other in the south of Israel. AUSiMED chair Antony Cohen described the expansion as “Goshen’s vision of supporting children living in poverty and disadvantage”.

Info:
AUSiMED is running a phone-a-thon over 24 hours starting at 2pm on Sunday, February 25, using the Charidy online platform. Visit www.charidy.com/ausimed; phone (03) 9272 5699; email info@ausimed.org

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