Employees of Jerusalem’s Bikur Cholim Hospital are striking and protesting, perhaps a final act before the ailing hospital is closed as they did not receive a salary in September 2012 and only a partial salary in October.
Employees are calling on Health Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to become involved to save the hospital before it is too late. While Deputy Minister Yaakov Litzman maintains ministerial authority, not finding a solution with him has compelled employees to turn to the minister himself.
Patients are not being accepted in the hospital and beginning on Monday night the eve of 21 Cheshvan 5773, births will be diverted as well. Health Ministry officials are discussing the transfer of patients to another facility as there is an effort to obtain a back-to-work order from a labor court. At the time of this report officials await the labor court hearing, set for Monday evening.
The situation appears bleak and some predict that this time around, the hospital may actually close its doors for good.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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all day the state of israel are talking about shortages of beds and now they are going to close down a central howpital, which has been open for years, and a large percent of frum births take place there. in jerusalem they say that the reason for the closure is because the real estate value of the property is far more important than the hospital. the state will make 10s of millions of dollars over the rebuilding of the buildings, and their conversion into high-risers. which are much needed and in demand at the centre of town next to king george, if this is true it stinks.