PA to Palestinians: Avoid Israeli Hospitals

Jameel
The Muqata
16 August '10

The PA is announcing a new initiative for PA residents to use Palestinian medical services and hospitals, and not use Israeli health care.

The PA Ma'an radio reports:

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.

"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.

"Referrals for treatment abroad is kind of a culture imposed by the Israeli occupation after 1967 when the Palestinian health system was made dependent on the Israeli system. Even the PA failed to change this culture and officials enhanced it by using their influence to help certain patients get referrals for treatment in Israel," Abu Moghli added.

Last week I was called to a road accident in my capacity as a medic, and I saw Palestinian motorists begging Magen David Adom ambulances to take their severely wounded children to Israeli hospitals, yet the Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance crews said they would take the wounded to a Palestinian hospital in Shechem.

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