Dr Hans and Mrs Madeleine Bernath

Dr Bernath in his office, 1971.

OUR SWISS CONNECTIONS

Dr Hans and Mrs Madeleine Bernath

Thanks to their active involvement in the community both in Switzerland and Nazareth, the Bernaths were instrumental in securing funding for the Nazareth Hospital, upgrading buildings and recruiting staff. While Madeleine taught at the hospital, Hans worked as Chief Surgeon and was promoted to Medical Superintendent in 1969.

Dr Hans Bernath’s first contact with the Nazareth Hospital was in 1948 when he worked at the International Red Cross. In 1951 he went back to his native Switzerland to get some surgical training and returned to the Nazareth Hospital as Chief Surgeon in 1956, now joined by his wife Madeleine and their three children. A few years later, the couple adopted two Arab children who were born at the Nazareth Hospital.

Madeleine worked alongside her husband, doing what she liked the most: teaching. She taught Bible and English courses to the young nurses and helped the European staff with Arabic.

In addition to his work at the hospital, Dr Bernath worked as the Swiss representative of the Red Cross and had to go into the war zone. As soon as he was appointed Medical Superintendent, his highest priority became upgrading the hospital buildings – and he was the perfect candidate for the job in terms of interest and expertise. Hans showed enthusiasm for technical work from an early age, when he taught himself to repair bikes and worked as a wheelwright as a teenager.

In order to pay for his medical studies, he had to work several jobs, including his father’s wine press. The machine to separate the berries from the stems that Hans built improved the wine quality significantly, helping him fund his dream career.

Carpenter's bench crafted by Dr Hans Bernath.

His first projects at the Nazareth Hospital included completing the maternity department, building an intensive care unit and expanding the hospital kitchen, assisted by the Swiss builders the Bernaths recruited.

Hans’ strategic planning was crucial for getting the Israeli government to recognise the three private hospitals in Nazareth (Nazareth Hospital, Holy Family Hospital and the French Hospital of St Vincent de Paul) as the Galilean District Hospital in 1981. Next, Dr Bernath set about upgrading the hospital facilities and staff to meet the Health authorities requirements and the community’s needs.

After several discussions with hospital staff, Dr Bernath prepared a master plan for the next ten years. His pioneer view consisted of constructing a building that could be easily adaptable without significant structural changes. Bernath secured the funds, provided the design and construction maps, and supervised the work, working closely with the architects.

The first phase was to split the outpatient and emergency department in a 2-storey building completed in 13 months and financed by Bernath’s Swiss friends and the German charity Bread for the World.

The second phase was much more ambitious: it included creating a 5-storey building to house appropriate facilities for a nursing school, medical library, physiotherapy department, a dialysis unit and improved wards and rooms for patients. To make this project a reality, the Bernaths recruited volunteers from Swiss churches to help.

However, Hans’ plan went beyond the development of buildings and included recruiting staff and upgrading medical equipment. Firstly, he saw the need to develop the registered nursing program, which helped the hospital progress even further. And secondly, he hired local staff to join the senior leadership team at the hospital and develop speciality services. Dr Nakhle Bishara, the first Arab doctor at the hospital, joined in 1981 and became Medical Director in 1986.

The couple never stopped working, not even after retiring. Hans volunteered to supervise the hospital building projects and pursued his passion for woodworking. Some of the carpentry he crafted is still at the hospital, including the carpenter’s bench in the chapel. Madeleine looked after visitors and planned the volunteers’ coffee break. In recognition of their significant contribution to the hospital – 42 years of service which set up the hospital for the future – the auditorium was named after them.