The Organization
The Nazareth Hospital, on a hillside overlooking the town, is a District General Hospital for Galilee, recognized by the Ministry of Health in Israel, and part of the network of health care for the region. Christian staff and patients worship regularly in the wards and in the hospital chapel, where the communion table is a carpenter's bench, but the Christian witness is evident 24 hours a day throughout the hospital.
Historical Perspective
The hospital is staffed principally by local people, and is the largest employer in the town of Nazareth. However, about 10% of the hospital's staff, both medical and support, are from overseas, usually on a two-year contract.
Present Situation & Future Vision
Of the 25 departments in the Nazareth Hospital, the maternity unit is certainly the busiest. The Accident and Emergency unit is open 24 hours a day and the Renal Dialysis unit is literally a lifeline to all its patients. In recent years, the King's Ward has been one of the pioneers in Israel of Palliative or Hospice Care, a service which offers unique opportunities for showing Christian care and compassion to patients and their families, both in the ward and in their homes.