MK Katz enjoyed an extended explanation from Director of Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, Dr. Mickey Dudkiewicz, and also toured the various departments together with the hospital management. The primary issues which arose during the conversation included the ever-increasing needs of the hospital, the need to add hospital beds, particularly in the internal medicine and cardiology departments, and more positions for additional manpower. Likewise, other topics of discussion were the hospital’s long wait to receive authorization for purchasing and operating ECMO machines, opening a unit for cerebral angiography, operating a PET-CT machine, and the critical delay of over a year in building the general emergency room which is essential for serving the needs of this population.
During the tour, MK Katz was impressed at how the hospital was operating regarding coronavirus (COVID-19), and heard from the department directors how patients of Clalit Health Services who live in the area are no longer able to receive medical services at Hillel Yaffe due to non-medical considerations, harming their availability and accessibility.
MK Katz summarized his visit by saying: “From the moment I was chosen, I have taken upon myself to deal with narrowing the gaps between medical services in the periphery and center of the country. I believe helping hospitals is of utmost importance. This was the reason I entered the Knesset, and I will constantly continue to act regarding this issue. During my visit I saw the terrible injustice regarding the lack of ECMO machines. While there are dozens of machines in the center of the country, Hillel Yaffe does not have even one. The lives of the residents of the center are not worth more than those of those living in this area. I will fight to change this.”
Ofir Katz, MK, accompanied by the management of the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center during his visit to the Department of Emergency Medicine
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