(MENAFN- AzerNews) An Israeli medical delegation helped correct the facial
appearance of dozens of wounded Azerbaijani soldiers.
Israel's humanitarian spirit showed up in Azerbaijan at a time
of need, providing proof of real friendship.
On Sept. 27, 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a war erupted
between Azerbaijan and Armenia that lasted 44 days. The human cost
was high. Wounded Azerbaijani soldiers with severe face and eye
injuries urgently required surgical eye restoration and orbital
reconstruction with ocular prostheses.
Dr. Messoud (Mesut) Ashina is a Danish-Azerbaijani neurologist
whose heart is embedded in Azerbaijan. He is a volunteer member of
the YAŞAT Foundation Board of Trustees, an Azerbaijani platform
that supports disabled soldiers and families of the fallen. He also
knows excellent physicians from Israel.
Facing a large number of wounded soldiers in need of treatment,
Dr. Ashina reached out to Dr. Yishay Falick, an exceptional Israeli
ophthalmologist and surgeon with experience in healthcare
administration and work with government agencies.
Dr. Falick, then the CEO of Misgav Ladach Hospital in Jerusalem,
took it upon himself to organize a humanitarian delegation to Baku,
Azerbaijan that would provide medical assistance to veterans.
Due to the pandemic, air transportation was limited and borders
were closed. There was a lack of corneas fit for transplant and
regulatory problems made it difficult to get the needed medical
specialists on board.
Despite this, Dr. Falick put together an exceptional delegation:
Dr. Joav Vardizer, specialist in cataract and oculoplastic
reconstructive surgery and corneal transplantation; Dr. Schmuel
Levartowski, oculoplastic surgeon; Dr. Galina Sholohov, former head
of the ophthalmology ward at Barzilai Hospital; Yoreh Barak, head
doctor of the ophthalmology ward at Barzilai Hospital; Dr. Oved
Daniel, head of the Retinal Department and clinical research at
Rambam Hospital; and Ira Konon, specialist in the treatment of
headaches and cervical spine pain, research department coordinator
at Barzilai Medical Center and the administrative head of the
delegation.
In the month prior to their arrival, while Dr. Falick was
assembling the staff and the required medical equipment, Dr.
Vardizer, the delegation's oculoplastic reconstructive surgeon,
handcrafted 400 eye prostheses for wounded soldiers based on photos
of their faces taken before they were wounded.
In order to overcome the pandemic restrictions, the medical team
was flown to Azerbaijan on a private jet.
The delegation's work was assisted by Azerbaijan's Minister of
Health Dr. Teymur Musayev; Ulvi Mehdiyev, chairman of the ASAN
Service Agency-a“one-stop shop” that brings together
representatives of 10 government entities and private companies
providing services in a public-private partnership-and Israel's
Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mr. George Deek.
From Feb. 27 to March 7, 2021, the Israeli team provided medical
care and surgeries to over 150 Azerbaijani veterans. The team
worked 12 to 15-hour days, sometimes using three operating rooms
simultaneously. A total of 56 operations were performed.
One of the wounded soldiers was Arif Hajiyev, of the Muslim
faith, whose eye was badly damaged in combat. Dr. Falick decided to
treat Hajiyev with a triple cornea transplant procedure operation
to restore his eyesight.
After the surgery's success, Hajiyev was invited to visit
Israel. He did so with the support of Ambassador Deek and Dr.
Falick, who took it upon himself to reach out to the family whose
loved one's cornea was donated to Hajiyev. Also involved were the
US-AZ Cultural Foundation (USAZCF), whose purpose is to promote
relations between Azerbaijan and the United States, along with the
State Committee for Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of
Azerbaijan.
On Dec. 18, 2022, amidst the ongoing Hanukkah holiday, Hajiyev
landed in Israel for a four-day visit. He met with and deeply
thanked the wife of the late Kobie R., whose corneas had saved
Hajiyev's sight. Hajiyev also met with Moshe Fadlon, the mayor of
Herzliya, where Kobie R.'s family resides, and was given the key to
the city. Hajiyev reconnected with Dr. Falick and had his eye
examined, met members of the government of Israel, prayed at the
Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, celebrated Hanukkah, did some
sightseeing and thanked Israel for its humanitarian spirit.
USAZCF is now producing a documentary called“Through the Blink
of an Eye” that will share Israel's humanitarian spirit and its
friendly relations with Azerbaijan with the entire world.
In fact, it is possible that the Israeli medical delegation's
success contributed to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's recent
decision to sign an order ensuring the establishment of an embassy
in Tel Aviv, which will further strengthen the bond between
Azerbaijan and Israel.
Someone can become a pioneer in their community because he or
she never gives up on people. We can all learn by emulating the
philanthropic engagement and communal involvement of the likes of
Dr. Falick and his dedicated medical delegation to Azerbaijan.
Nurit Greenger was born in the British Mandate for Palestine
in 1947 and now writes from southern California.
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