The Western Galilee Hospital (Hebrew: בית החולים לגליל המערבי) is a hospital located in the coastal town of Nahariya and is the second largest hospital in northern Israel (after Rambam Hospital in Haifa). It was established in 1956.
Since its modest beginning as a small maternity hospital, The WGH has grown into a 627-bed facility. The emergency room receives about 400 people every day and the number of hospitalizations is about 60,000 a year. Approximately 300 physicians practice in this government owned hospital, while the total number of employees is about 2200. The hospital staff is a reflection of the multi-ethnic demography of the Western Galilee, consisting of Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze and others. In 2007, the Western Galilee Hospital was the first to appoint an Arab Israeli (Dr. Masad Barhoum) as its director.
Over the years the hospital evolved from a small complex into a large establishment, with dozens of departments serving a population of nearly half a million people which includes the residents of the Western Galilee, the IDF forces and the UN (UNIFIL) forces.
In summer of 2006, during the 2006 Lebanon War, the hospital handled the largest number of casualties in Israel - 1872, which included civilians and IDF soldiers.
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