Economy Minister Aryeh Deri has written to Deputy Minister of Health Yaakov Litzman to abolish the regulation that prohibits accepting blood donations from members of Israel’s Ethiopian community.
Deri explains in his letter that he is angered to learn that blood from Ethiopians is prohibited to this very day, calling on Litzman to act to change the alarming reality.
“While the committee of experts headed by Prof. Manfred Green, who heads the School of Public Health at the University of Haifa determined there nothing preventing accepting blood from Israelis of Ethiopian descent born in Israel, and in addition it was decided that children from the Ethiopian community in Israel over 10 years can donate blood too. However the Ministry of Health prohibition on accepting Ethiopian blood stands in place today.
Deri calls the ruling infuriating, pointing out that despite the fact the Ethiopians are model citizens the discrimination against them continues. He cites they contribute to life in Israel and many of them are serving in IDF combat units as well as in other security agencies.
“I turn to you to please instruct ministry officials to halt this outrageous discrimination between us. This decision is an affront to the entire Ethiopian community, without justification, and results in unjustifiable injustice and it is ever so important to reverse it immediately”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
There is no logic in basing exclusion on Ethiopians.
It might be logical to ban hilonim since their private lives put them at high risk for the diseases that affect blood transfusions. Of course, Asheknazi hilonim run the country and might be offended.
It may be discriminatory,but the fact remains that Israelis of Ethiopian descent have a higher rate of HIV
so why doesnt DERI have HIS mishpacha take HIV blood?