At Ezer Mizion's Medical Referral Department, no issue is too big - or too small.

Shimon Rogoway, director of the Medical Referral Department, thought he had heard it all - until he received a call from a person who wanted to know what time the drugstore in his neighborhood closed.

"Every day, our department handles over 100 requests for medical advice and assistance," says Rogoway. "The situations we deal with range from the life-threatening to the absolutely inane."

Ezer Mizion's Medical Referral staff are committed to dealing with all requests - even the absurd ones - efficiently, professionally, and courteously.

Often, the Medical Referral Department plays a key role in critical medical situations. "A man came into our office one evening at 8:00 P.M.," Rogoway says, "with a stack of medical documents, CAT scans, and MRIs. His son had lost hearing in one ear, and had undergone extensive imaging tests to determine the cause. Doctors found a brain tumor, but could not agree on the nature of the tumor. 'Highly malignant' one doctor had written in the patient's file. 'Rare tumor' another had written. A third doctor had written 'Benign.' The medical staff had decided to perform dangerous, invasive surgery to remove the growth."

Rogoway disagreed. "With no clear diagnosis, it is irresponsible to perform major surgery," he told the man.

Rogoway called Dr. Maimon, a senior radiologist at Tel Aviv's Beilinson Hospital. "Tell the fellow to come over to my home," Dr. Maimon said graciously. By the time the man arrived, it was 11:00 P.M. Dr. Maimon took a look at the CT and MRI scans.

"It's not malignant," he told the man. "Actually, it's not even a tumor. It's just an infection. A few doses of antibiotics and it will go away. Your son's hearing will come back, too," he added.

"Sure enough," says Rogoway, "After a course of antibiotics, the 'tumor' completely disappeared."

"My work at Ezer Mizion is always interesting," Rogoway says with a smile. "You really never know what's coming next."