Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman declared that he will be joining the fight to make sure that old age homes and nursing homes will have adequate quality workers.

Litzman wrote a letter to the Ministers of Interior and Finance, demanding that they prevent the expulsion of foreign workers who entered Israel illegally and work in the nursing homes. He demanded that they work quickly to provide the nursing homes with the necessary permits to employ foreign workers so as to prevent Palestinian workers from taking over their jobs. In a letter he wrote to the committee for the Union of Nursing  Homes, Litzman vehemently disagreed with the proposal set forth by the Finance Ministry stating that Palestinians would take over the jobs left vacant by the expulsion of the illegal foreign workers. Furthermore, Llitzman committed the Health Ministry to training nurses who focus on geriatric caregiving with the proper credentials to fill any gaps.

“The field of geriatric care is one that determines life and death and requires that we provide workers who are trustworthy and accepted by the families of those to whom they give care. As part of the government’s plan to expand employment opportunities for Palestinians from Judea and Samaria, it is planned that these new workers will work in the geriatric caregiving industry among others. Unfortunately, geriatric care facilities cannot rely on Palestinian workers from Judea and Samaria, and therefore I oppose teiracclimation in this field.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)