Netanyahu, Litzman to meet with resigning Hadassah doctors
The prime minister and health minister get involved in an effort to resolve a crisis at the Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Department in Hadassah after six doctors resigned, leaving it with almost no physicians to treat the sick children; Netanyahu: 'The goal is to find a solution soon.'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Health Minister Yaakov Litzman are expected to meet in the coming days with the six senior doctors who resigned from Hadassah's Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Department in an effort to resolve the crisis with the hospital administration.
MKs Ayelet Nahmias-Verbin (Zionist Union) and Yehuda Glick (Likud) sent a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu's wife Sara on Tuesday, asking her to help solve the crisis.
"Three days ago, my wife approached me to help solve the problem that was created at Hadassah Medical Center. In light of her request, I spoke with the health minister several times on this matter in an effort to find a solution soon," said Netanyahu. Sources close to Minister Litzman confirmed the two had spoken.
Six senior doctors at the Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Department of the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem tended their resignation in March in protest of a decision by the hospital director to perform bone marrow transplants for children at another department for adults. The doctors claim hospital director Prof. Zeev Rotstein was trying to reduce costs even at the expense of hurting the quality of care.
The doctors believe the decision is fundamentally wrong and does not enable them to provide patients with the best care. Despite talks between the sides, the doctors and the hospital's administration failed to reach an agreement to resolve the crisis.
Prof. Rotstein charged the resignation was part of "internal politics," adding "as far as the professional matter is concerned, I'm confident about the treatment the children are receiving, both at the pediatric department and at the bone marrow transplantation department."
Officials at the Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Department explained the decision to resign came as a result of "fundamental professional disagreements" between the department's medical staff and the hospital administration. The medical staff has complained of a serious shortage in manpower, which they say puts the department on the verge of collapse.
