Assuta Ashdod presents at MEDinIsrael conference

Israel is considered a leader in medical innovation. Last month, Samson Assuta Ashdod University Hospital contributed to Israel's growing med-tech field at the MEDinIsrael conference, where the hospital presented newly developed medical technology.

Organized by the Israel Export Institute and the Foreign Trade Administration at the Ministry of Economy and Industry, MEDinIsrael invited Israelis working in the Med-Tech field to collaborate with international industry and healthcare leaders.

Assuta Ashdod hosted a group of around 120 delegates to tour its facilities and learn about new technologies.

"I think that the goal of the conference was to expose the representatives from medical institutions all over the world to a unique, very advanced technological hospital, and to create a lead for possible cooperation, either in research or business opportunities," head of Assuta Ashdod's medical innovation department Dr. Gil Levy said.

The group toured the hospital's facilities as part of its strategic stops.

"There were presentations from multiple startup companies that are already using their technology in the hospital before they go to market," Levy said.

Assuta Ashdod provides excellent resources for developers to research and innovate. The hospital received a grant from the Israeli Innovation Authority to create the infrastructure that allows startup companies to test their technology at the hospital. Assuta Ashdod also offers a yearly eight-week innovation course for hospital staff members.

Levy presented Assuta Ashdod's project, the Assuta Medical Sandbox.

“The goal is to allow technology companies to enter the sandbox where they have access to a copy of patients’ annonymous electronic health records and can test their innovation against the data,” Levy said. “This way, we do not risk harming patients or their data but at the same time can use real information to test these technologies. It also gives developers the ability to work side by side with real surgeons, physicians and patients.”

"Each company that we support is meant to improve our ability to provide treatment."

In addition, Assuta Ashdod collaborated on a project with Elta Systems, an aerospace and defense company based in Ashdod. Elta introduced a Noncontact Vitals Screening System called TAMAR.

Developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, TAMAR allows patients to have their temperature, blood pressure and pulse read without touching the device or requiring a medical assistant.

“We are still using this tool in the emergency room to save time," Levy explained.

Assuta Ashdod is committed to providing its patients with the best care possible, which showed through the technologies presented at MEDinIsrael.

“Each company that we support is meant to improve our ability to provide treatment,” said Levy. “If we can do that, I think we're doing our job the best way."