Nazareth English Hospital announced the closure of its emergency department on Wednesday and said it would not be able to receive patients until further notice.
The medical institution recorded an overall deficit of about 30 million shekels, and as a result, employees did not receive their salaries for the month of August.
The decision was based on a strike announced last week to protest “the government’s failure to fulfill its obligations in the budget for the hospital”.
“During the strike, the number of patients in the emergency department dropped to 15%. Today, the doors of the emergency room were completely closed, a dramatic event that will be very difficult for other hospitals in the region. Patients will be rescued,” the hospital said.
Although the Nazareth English Hospital provides medical services to the entire population of the North, its budget is “significantly lower than equivalent government hospitals,” hospital staff said.
The hospital staff started signing the “No Hospital – No Votes” to the Arab public, and according to the staff, it received thousands of signatures within a day.
“We are not second-class citizens, we are not second-class workers. It hurts our hearts to be forced to work without pay and in poor conditions – we deserve to receive as much as we give,” said the nurses.
In recent months, hospital workers have gone on strike several times against working conditions deemed inhumane by doctors, who believe long working hours put patients’ lives at risk.
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