Netanya’s Laniado Hospital was in debt by NIS 235 million at the end of 2015. The government and Ministry of Health are already involved, and according to TheMarker report, a five-year recovery plan is being drawn up to bail the hospital out. In fact, the national government gave the hospital NIS 11 million last year, NIS 15 million this past April and is preparing to make another payment soon in the amount of NIA 11 million. For the time being, all employees in the 400+ bed facility are receiving their salaries but for a period of months, the money taken from them was not placed in pension funds as required. This has since been corrected as well.

Health Minister Yaakov Litzman is quoted in the report, stating the hospital run by the Sanzer Chassidus is in need of financial aid. He points out this is not the result of bloated salaries, mismanagement or criminal activities, but simply the rising costs that cannot be met by the medical facility. Litzman points out non-government hospital have to be bailed out every few years, and at times, government hospitals are in need of a fiscal boost too. He points to Hadassah Hospitals as an example of a hospital that was recently bailed out by the government.

The ministry continues to monitor events and the hospital is under a magnifying glass as Litzman’s ministry monitors all income and spending.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)