Dr. Olga Barzilai is a respected family physician at the Balfour Clinic in Rishon Lezion. Unlike other doctors, she began practicing family medicine at a relatively late age – and does not regret it for a moment. “Without the support of my family I could not have reached this profession,” she says.
Did I reach this area?
“I started studying thanks to my mother-in-law, who gave me the green light to start and told me that I should go into medicine because I’m suitable for it. In addition, I also got into the field thanks to my grandmother who raised me. She was close to medicine, she was a doctor’s assistant during World War II in 1941 in Ukraine.”
Do you have a family background in the field you are engaged in?
“I started practicing medicine in Israel at the age of 46, which is considered a relatively late age. My husband encouraged me to pass the medical licensing test and I have been practicing it ever since.”
What made you start working in the field now, at a late age?
“As a matter of principle, I wanted to fulfill my dream and that of my mother. My mother wanted me to be a doctor in Israel and not do anything else. They invested in me as a child and now I felt the need to give back.”
What are the most important things to you at work?
“I chose family medicine because it is intergenerational care. I also treat children, parents, and grandparents. It’s a different approach. When someone comes, I already know where they’re coming from. I like communication, I like to talk, and that’s very important in family medicine. You also need patience and calmness And I have it. There is a very elderly population here, I like the geriatric field, it suits me.
Share with us an interesting story that happened to you?
“I have a patient who kept going to the emergency room and hospitals and no one could diagnose her. She came to the clinic one day and I discovered something that had not yet been done, no investigation had been done. After that we came up with a certain diagnosis and she has been treated ever since.”
What is unique in your field, in your profession? Would you recommend it to young people who are debating?
“Definitely yes. Family medicine is a very important field for those who like it, even young people can enjoy this practice. It is a very broad field, we deal with all fields such as surgery, orthopedics, infectious diseases, internal diseases, ophthalmology. There is everything from everything.”
How do you currently combine your family life with your profession?
“Without support I couldn’t achieve anything and I couldn’t combine work with my family. Fortunately, everyone supports me: my husband, my son, my daughter-in-law, my mother and my 13-year-old granddaughter.”
What are you most proud of in your work?
“I’m proud that at a young age I was able to successfully finish the internship, that I fulfilled the dreams of the people around me as well as my own dream.”
Tell 2 things they don’t know about you.
1. I studied music for 7 years, I also played the piano.
2. I also like the field of psychiatry, I like treating and giving help to people with disabilities.