Following the continued delays in receiving the finances allocated for their service in Judea and Samaria, Magen David Adom (MDA) has sent an official letter signed by the Vice President of Operations Gil Moskowitz, to Miri Cohen who is in charge of Emergency Sevices for the Health Ministry. The letter outlines the services that will be cut to various locations throughout Judea and Samaria beginning tomorrow morning, January 1st, 2018.

According to the letter: “Following continued requests, discussions, and promises, and in light of the results from today’s committee meeting that took place today, 31.12.2017, in which the amount owing to MDA for its services in Judea and Samaria was not solved, MDA is being forced to cut back on our services in some of our ambulance dispath locations in Judea and Samaria as a first step to full cutbacks.

Beginning on tonight’s night shift, 31.12.2017 – 1.1.2018, in the selected stations in which cutbacks will begin, the responsibility for dispatch and operation of the ambulances will return to the management of the municipal and regional councils as it was in the past.

MDA staff members who finish their shifts will leave the keys to the ambulances with the guards at the entrance to the city or town in which they serve. It will be the responsibility of the Health Ministry to work out with the Municipal and Regional Council leaders to staff the ambulances and provide the MDA national dispatch center with a list of people who will be staffing the ambulance.

We hereby request that you coordinate with the Municipal and Regional Council heads to provide the emergency response in the local areas in which service will be cut back and that you prepare for a full cessation of MDA’s paid services in Judea and Samaria in the near future.”

The letter went on to list the following locations in which cutbacks would take place starting at midnight (5 p.m. EST) on January 1st. Among the locations listed were: Shaked, Beit Arye, Shavei Shomeron, Alfei Menashe, Ariel, Elkana, Talmonim-Dolev, Beitar Illit, Megillot, Tekoa, and Givat Ze’ev. The changes in service ranged from full closure of the ambulance dispatch location to a more mild closure on weekends or during specific shifts.

There has yet to be a public statement from the Health Ministry in response to the letter.

A few hours after the letter was published in the Israeli media, United Hatzalah sent a letter to the head of the Yesha Council, Chananel Dorani, offering their services in an effort to fill the void left by MDA should the council choose to accept them.

United Hatzalah’s letter read: “In light of the letter sent by the MDA leadership, stating that services to Judea and Samaria will begin to be scaled back beginning at midnight tonight, we offer our services to the cities and towns that are interested in accepting them.

Should the request be made, we will transport ambulances and volunteers who will take up shift work in the affected towns, and should there be a need, transport patients to the hospital.

Municipal or Regional Council heads who are interested in supplementing services in areas where MDA is scaling back or cutting off completely their services should contact our dispatch center, and we will assess how to provide a lasting medical response in the affected areas of Judea and Samaria until a long-term solution can be found to the current situation that has arisen.

All of our services are offered completely free of charge. – Vice President of Operations Dov Maisel. ”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)