By Vivienne Angeles VA
Copyright tribune
Israel, long recognized as a global leader in technology and innovation, is looking to deepen its contributions to the Philippine healthcare system by introducing medical technologies it believes will significantly benefit the country. But the partnership isn’t one-sided, as they admire and hope to learn from the Philippines’ healthcare workforce two major things: professionalism and kindness.“You have the biggest amount of nurses, actually, here going out to the world. I think that the fact that the nurses gain experience here in the Philippines and also outside, this is something that definitely the Israeli ecosystem can gain from,” said Ofek Venecianer, head of the Israeli Economic Mission to the Philippines, during a business matching event in Taguig City.“And the other thing is, of course, the kindness.”Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Dana Kursh echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that beyond shared values between Israelis and Filipinos, the genuine compassion of Filipino healthcare workers sets them apart.“The issue of compassion, it’s crucial for the healthcare. The way you show compassion is phenomenal, and genuine,” she said.“And the fact that in Israel, the most wanted [a]re in the care of the Filipinos. It’s not taken lightly….they become part of the extended family,” she added, sharing that when Israeli families visit the Philippines, they often travel to the home provinces of their Filipino caregivers.“It’s part of our connection…the importance of family. [T]he way you show compassion is remarkable,” Kursh said.Israel showcases medical techThe two-day event, led by Israel’s Ministry of Economy and Industry and the Israel Export Institute, featured five Israeli companies presenting their medical products and innovations.Their offerings spanned several therapeutic areas, including diabetes treatment, infection control, wound management, cardiovascular health, women’s health, veterinary care, and general health.Ambassador Kursh expressed hope for stronger collaboration with the Philippine government, especially in terms of funding and support for initiatives that combine innovation with local healthcare needs.“We’ll try to complement one another. [I]t’s a joint effort of top-down and bottom-up. There is an understanding throughout the years of the leadership, not just in the health care industry, also in the overall innovation in technology, and even the other avenues of education. [T]o create the right balanced ecosystem, [t]he government has to chip in,” she explained.“One way is really kind of creating accelerators, like providing funding from the government, and matching.”Beyond technologyIsraeli officials emphasized that their commitment goes beyond technology transfer—they are also focused on knowledge-sharing and capacity building.The ambassador said that in partnership with Mashav, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, Israeli doctors are being sent to Philippine provinces to train local doctors and paramedics.
