On 10 December 2019, Caritas Baby Hospital (CBH) opened the first Pediatric Observation Unit (POU) in Palestine and launched its new brand. Observation Units allow hospitals to avoid emotionally stressful and costly inpatient admission of sick children as far as possible. With this new development, CBH once again assumes a pioneering role in the Palestinian healthcare system and helps to modernize pediatric healthcare in Palestine as a whole.
The Ceremony took place in the presence of H.E Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, H.E Major General Kamel Hamid, the Governor of Bethlehem, Dr. Imad Shihadeh, the Director of Bethlehem Health Directorate, and the Deputy Mayor of Bethlehem, Mr. Hana Hanania, Mrs. Sybille Oetliker the managing director of Children’s Relief Bethlehem –the operating NGO of the hospital- among other local and international friends and supporters.
Observation units have evolved as a safe alternative to hospitalization and correspond to the global shifting of the emphasis in treatment from inpatient to outpatient services. Inpatient admission is emotionally stressful for sick children and their parents and entails high costs for health facilities. In cases that are unclear after their initial evaluation and treatment, pediatric observation services allow for more time – up to 23 hours – to determine if hospitalization is really needed or if the child can return home. The four observation beds inaugurated by CBH are the first ones in Palestine.
The new branding enables CBH to articulate its mission and services to both internal and external stakeholders. A well-defined and executed brand strategy is directly connected to our patients’ needs. Therefore, both developments will ultimately allow CBH to become a leading center of excellence of pediatric medicine in Palestine.
The Opening of the POU was followed by welcoming addresses and the revealing for CBH new logo.
