Rambam Health Care Campus denied allegations made on Saturday by the brother of one of four soldiers wounded in Lebanon last week, claiming the troops were severely mistreated by Rambam's staff during their overnight stay at the Haifa hospital.
Rambam stated that, after an investigation, it rejected all claims of wrongdoing toward the wounded soldiers by their staff.
In a post on Instagram, David Chesterman alleged that the four soldiers' families were not allowed to see their wounded loved ones, and that the soldiers were waiting for ages to receive food and water.
"My brother was seriously wounded in Lebanon, and what happened afterward is simply inconceivable. Three days ago, he was hospitalized together with three other fellow soldiers. He was sedated and ventilated and only woke up yesterday afternoon, suffering from burns all over his body, pain, fever, and hallucinations," he wrote.
According to Chesterman, the shift on the ward changed during the night, and the families were asked to leave.
"At night, a new shift arrived on the ward, all of them Arabic speakers. They removed all the families from the wards and locked the doors. Four seriously wounded soldiers find themselves alone for an entire night, surrounded by an Arabic-speaking staff behind locked doors. It's completely insane."
Chesterman claimed that family members tried to enter the ward to check on his brother's condition, but their requests were denied.
"We asked to go in for just a second, to see that he was okay. They refused us again and again. I broke through the door and went in to see that my brother was okay. He wasn't."
Brother of wounded soldier says he was 'slammed into bed' by Rambam nurses
Upon entering the room, Chesterman stated he found his brother “begging for water, and no one was around.”
He whispered to me that they had turned him over in the bed brutally, 'like a sardine,' his head was slammed into the bed, and no one cared," he said, and demanded to know who would take responsibility
Rambam addressed the issue by stating they take allegations of inappropriate treatment seriously, but would “not accept statements that disqualify or cast aspersions on the medical center's staff on the basis of their community or ethnicity."
"Rambam has a multicultural staff comprising employees from all sectors, communities, and religions, who have devotedly treated the many wounded soldiers who have arrived at the medical center throughout the war,” the hospital stated.
Israel Katz calls on IDF to investigate alleged Rambam mistreatment
In response, Defense Minister Israel Katz called for the IDF to investigate the incident.
“I view with the utmost seriousness the testimonies that have been published regarding the treatment of wounded IDF soldiers at the hospital," he said.
"The heroic IDF soldiers who were wounded while defending the State of Israel deserve the most dedicated and best possible care, as well as respectful treatment for themselves and their families. I instructed the IDF to immediately and thoroughly investigate all the allegations raised with the hospital and the relevant authorities," he said.
“If it is found that any staff member treated the wounded soldiers in an improper or egregious manner, it will not be allowed to pass without action. We will not allow anyone to treat IDF soldiers who were wounded defending the country in this manner. We will demand answers, draw conclusions, and act to ensure that such an incident does not happen again.”