World
GREEN
YOUR
SPRING
Care Is Stopped
Palestinians cut payments
to Israeli hospitals.
Dina Kraft
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Jerusalem
p
COME AND SEE OUR
WONDERFUL SELECTION
OF EMERALD. RINGS
THAT WILL BRIGHTEN
ANY OUTFIT
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March 12 • 2009
ediatric oncologist Michael
Weintraub of Hadassah Hospital
recently found himself turning
away ailing Palestinian children after the
Palestinian Authority decided to halt pay-
ment for their treatment.
Originally citing anger over the war in
Gaza and a desire to treat Palestinians in
P.A. hospitals, the Palestinian Authority
stopped funding treatment for the major-
ity of Palestinians in Israeli hospitals on
Feb. 1, abruptly cutting off what in some
cases is literally a lifeline.
"People could die in the next few
weeks" if they do not receive proper treat-
ment, said Weintraub, director of pediatric
hematology, oncology and bone marrow
transplantation at Hadassah. "Patients
were denied coverage from one day to
the next. If you stop cancer therapy for
a month or two, the risk of relapse and
death increases every day"
The hospital stays were among the
few humanitarian connections that had
managed to survive the divisions of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
For many years, a significant number
of Palestinians from the West Bank and
Gaza have come to Israeli hospitals for
medical care, often for sophisticated tests
or life-saving treatments not available at
Palestinian hospitals, such as bone mar-
row transplants or robotic surgery.
The decision to drastically reduce the
number of Palestinians entering Israel
for treatment came from the Palestinian
Authority Health Ministry for reasons
that appear to be both economic — the
expense of medical treatment is consider-
able for the Palestinian Authority — and
political.
But P.A. Health Minister Fathi Abu
Moghli said that despite the financial
strain of paying for health care in Israel,
and other countries like Jordan and
Egypt, the decision to reduce the overall
number of patients was made as part
of a new plan to improve the Palestinian
health care system.
"We continue referring abroad only
patients in real need of medical services
not available in Palestine he said in an
e-mail.
It was the Hamas regime in Gaza that
first said it would not send its wounded
to Israel for treat-
ment in the wake of
Palestinians await treatment last month at Hadassah
Israel's operation in
Hospital's Mount Scopus campus.
Gaza. That stance was
then adopted by the
refers some 1,000 Palestinian children to
Palestinian Authority, which is led by the
Israel each year for either consultations
more moderate Fatah faction, and was
or surgery. In cases of cancer, the center
extended to include most Palestinians
has split hospital fees with the Palestinian
seeking care at Israeli hospitals.
Authority.
Last year, about 28,000 Palestinians
Raphi Walden, deputy director of the
from the West Bank went to Israel for
Sheba Medical Center, said it's perplexing
treatment and approximately 14,000 from to see the flow of patients disappear so
Gaza, according to the Israel Defense
quickly.
Forces, which helps coordinate their travel
"It's a very grave situation because
permits. The patients are referred by
people who are in the middle of receiving
Palestinian hospitals.
treatments that often do not exist in the
Another apparent casualty of the new
West Bank and Gaza" will receive "a death
P.A. policy is the practice of sending
sentence" if they lack treatment, he said.
Palestinian doctors to train at Israeli
Walden is also chairman of Physicians
hospitals. Over the years, a strong profes-
for Human Rights, which has protested
sional network has developed between
the new P.A. policy and is trying to
Palestinian and Israeli physicians because convince Palestinian and international
of the practice, helping ease the process of human rights groups to join its call.
referrals. That could fall apart now
Every day, Weintraub said, he and his
Most of the Palestinians at Hadassah's
staff members field calls from Palestinian
two hospital campuses in Jerusalem
parents anxious about their children's
are from the West Bank. On average,
well-being. Among them are parents of
Hadassah saw 1,650 Palestinian patients
children as young as 5 and 6 who are ill
per month. In recent weeks, since the P.A.
with leukemia. Many Palestinian patients
directive was issued, that number has
and their relatives are wary of speaking
dwindled to less than 10.
to the media about the situation, hospital
At another major hospital where
officials say, fearing it could make it diffi-
Palestinian cases are referred, Sheba
cult for them to eventually get back to the
Medical Center near Tel Aviv, there are no
care they need.
new Palestinian patients although about
Weintraub says he's particularly con-
50 have been at the hospital since before
cerned about a baby girl just under a
February, a spokesperson said. It was not
year old who suffers from a hereditary
clear how much longer they would be able immune deficiency. She underwent a
to stay without funds to cover their care.
complicated, cutting-edge bone marrow
Nancy Falchuk, the national president
transplant at Hadassah at the age of 6
of Hadassah, said on a visit to Israel that
months. It saved her life.
something must be done to help facilitate
The same procedure would have cost
the Palestinians' treatment.
between $300,000 and $500,000 in the
While Hadassah is hesitant to become
United States. In Israel, the fees were
involved on a political level, Falchuk said
capped at $50,000.
she was speaking out "because medicine
After the Palestinian Authority ceased
should be beyond politics."
paying for her treatment this month, she
"For 97 years we have talked about
was kept by the hospital free of charge for
people with heart disease and cancer,
two weeks.
not Arabs and Jews, and that is what we
When it came time to discharge
want to continue doing," she said. "It's an
the girl, she was provided a supply of
unfolding story. The hospital will do what medication, but her parents, who were
it can to continue providing services!'
referred by the Palestinian Authority to a
Palestinians pay the same state-sub-
hospital in Nablus, have discovered there
sidized rates as do Israeli patients. For
is no hospital in the West Bank that can
additional help, Hadassah has philan-
adequately offer the follow-up care she
thropic funds that help cover some extra
needs, Weintraub said.
costs at their facilities, and the Peres
"This child's life is in extreme danger at
Center for Peace has a program that
the moment',' he said.