'Palestinian Authority' to stop referring patients to Israel and abroad
The 'Palestinian Authority' says that it will stop referring patients to hospitals in Israel and abroad whenever it is possible to treat those patients itself.Minister Fathi Abu Moghli told Ma'an radio that referrals would stop "because our hospitals can cover all medical services qualitatively." Certain patients will still require treatment abroad, he said, but the majority can be treated locally.I have no idea whether that's realistic but I can tell you that a massive number of Arabs from the 'Palestinian Authority' and from the Arab countries are treated in Israel every year.
"We endeavor to reduce the cases which need referral abroad as long as they can receive adequate treatment locally," the PA minister said, adding that between 2008 and 2009, the number of patients being treated abroad was reduced by 50 percent.
The PA previously spend 400 million shekels on referrals, which has been reduced to 200 million shekels, including 4.7 million shekels for referrals to Israel hospitals, the minister said.
The funds will be diverted toward developing and building medical centers and hospitals, Abu Moghli said. "We have already prepared a comprehensive plan for next year to be submitted to the government. The plan includes a vision to promote medical services and secure a sustainable infrastructure within Palestinian hospitals and medical facilities."
Abu Moghli noted that "For the first time, we have 380 resident doctors practicing to specialize in 32 fields. We will soon become suppliers of specialized physicians to neighboring countries."
The money spent on referrals would fund the construction of a well-equipped medical center in each district, he added.
Israel also sends a lot of people - probably too many - abroad for treatment every year.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:48 PM
2 Comments:
Yup... with that move, they're really ready for peace in our lifetime.
That speaks volumes about the Palestinian readiness to accept Israel as a neighbor.
What could go wrong indeed
Carl, I used to volunteer at Bikkur Cholim hospital 1 day a week in 2005/6. One of my tasks was to pull records for the next days "clinic". You know, either cardiac care, prenatal, urology, or just routine year checkups, etc. Approx. 1/3 of those patients were Arab patients. Maybe they were Israeli Arabs. I'm sure the percentage has not changed by very much since then.
Jeff Barouch
(Westchester)NY
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