FARWELL WORDS FROM DR. ROBERT TABASH
Dear Colleagues and Friends
On the occasion of my retirement as Director of
Administration of Holy Family Hospital, I wish to
extend to you a few farewell words.
I am privileged to have been associated with Holy
Family Hospital since nearly 40 years and to have
worked both with the Daughters of Charity and
with the Sovereign Order of Malta for the past 25 years. During all that
time, I have learned to appreciate their concern for the sick and the
poor.
What a wonderful journey it has been to be part of the transformation
of a closed hospital back in 1985 into the leader in maternal and newborn
healthcare in Palestine that it is today; A journey that would not
have been possible without the Sovereign Order of Malta and their
members and benefactors around the world, without the contributions
of the American people through USAID and the Holy Family Hospital
Foundation, and the contributions of the French, Belgian and Irish Governments
and many others. This transformation would also not have
been possible without the dedication of all the people who have worked
here, past and present.
During this wonderful journey, I came in contact with so many devoted
and generous people from all over the world from whom I have learned
a lot: dedicated Daughters of Charity; Knights and Dames of the Order;
eminent visiting professors; tireless unknown soldiers like the volunteers
and they all touched my life in different ways.
I can still remember the days when we were preparing the reopening of the hospital
towards the end of 1989; Alice Mirza the Head Accountant and Khader Kheir the
Head of the Maintenance Department were already with me as we were installing the
equipment and furniture, preparing the printed material, the procedures etc…
I’ll never forget the birth of the 1st baby on the 26th February 1990; Patrick Mohan,
the Director General and myself were waiting in the corridor of the labour ward with
nerves in worse shape than the expectant father while Dr. Samir Asfour was performing
the delivery. Here we are today about to celebrate the 50 000th delivery.
Another milestone is by far the opening of the first floor in 2007. This was really the
moment when the Holy Family Hospital entered the 21st century.
I thank you all of you for your support during all these years.
I thank Sr. Sophie Boueri and the Daughters of Charity
I thank the Sovereign Order of Malta and I wish to especially thank the President of
the Board of Trustees of the hospital, His Excellency Baron Albrecht von Boeselager
the Grand Hospitaller of the Order and all the members of the Board. I would like to
remember here two former Delegate Presidents of the Board; the late Count Géraud
de Pierredon and the Baron Jacques Guerrier de Dumast from whom I learned a lot.
I thank all those organizations and their workers who believed in the mission of the
hospital and who supported me during these years. I would like to particularly mention
here Dr. Suzy Srouji and Dr. Elizabeth Drabant from USAID.
I thank my mother for her unconditional love and my late father for instilling in me the
gift of giving.
I thank my wife Marlen and my children Nathalie and Johnny who were always beside
me even when the hospital was taking from my time with them.
As for my dear colleagues and friends, employees of the hospital with whom I have
worked for such a long time, I am leaving but I will be watching your progress with interest
and I shall be back to check on you. I am certain you will all go on to achieve far
better things than I did. If my legacy to you was time spent building this place up, your
legacy to me is one of comradeship, faith in teamwork and lots of good memories. I
wish you a great career.
Finally, I wish Dr. Jacques Keutgen the CEO good continuation and I wish the new
Chief Administrative Officer Usama Khalilieh, who will start working at the hospital on
the 1st July, all the best in his new position and ask you all to support him.
Thank you
Dr. Robert Tabash
19 Salesian Street—Bethlehem - Palestinian Authority
Home: +970 (0)2 274 3593 — Clinic: +970 (0)2 274 2882 — Mobile: +970 (0)599 25 00 53
E-mail: rhtabash@hotmail.com
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