MDA Ambulance Transport Increases 5.7 Percent

The appropriate Knesset Committees have approved a 5.7% rate hike for Magen David Adom ambulance service. As such, an ambulance transport during daytime hours involving a round trip [for the ambulance] not exceeding 20km (12 miles) will now cost 377 shekels if one pays cash instead of 357 shekels.

A round trip from 96 to 100km (60-62 miles) will cost 1,586 shekels instead of 1,500 today. A person living 45km (30 miles) from a hospital (round trip) will pay 586 shekels instead of 554 shekels today at 703 shekels at night instead of 666 shekels. Patients transported from a vehicular accident scene will pay 705 shekels instead of 677 shekels.

MDA is Israel’s national emergency medical response and blood services organization, but is not funded by the government. MDA is owed approximately 500 million shekels (approximately $143.8 million) from Hadassah Medical Center and is also in debt to various local municipalities for approximately 200 million shekels.

“MDA is legally required to charge fees for services which, despite the increase, are approximately 30% lower than the actual costs of the services,” says MDA Spokesman Zaki Heler. “MDA will never undermine its mandate to provide world-class care to Israelis. So to avoid budgetary deficits, MDA must find financial resources to fund its lifesaving activities besides money raised from supporters abroad.”

MK (Yahadut Hatorah) Rabbi Uri Maklev was adamantly opposed to the rate hike, explaining that the rate was increased just a number of weeks ago to compensate for the price index. He decried the reality that an ambulance transport from Modi’in Illit to a Jerusalem or Bnei Brak hospital will cost over 1,000 shekels, an astronomical rate that most families cannot afford.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)