Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., May 13, 2008 Iyyar 8, 5768 | | Israel Time: 03:14 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Peres Conference Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Budget shortfall could force closure of Tel Hashomer hospital's cancer hospice By Yuval Azoulay The Cancer Hospice at Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, is in danger of shutting down due to a Finance Ministry decision not to allocate funds for the salaries of the personnel needed to work in the hospice, hospital officials said yesterday. The hospital officials said that in light of the treasury decision, the hospice - which provides palliative care for terminally ill cancer patients and is the only place of its kind in the center of the country - will stop accepting new patients in about a month and will shut down entirely at the end of June. Advertisement Sheba associate director Dr. Itzhak Zaidise said the hospital did not have the necessary budget to pay all the personnel it needs. However, the Finance Ministry said it found unused funds allocated for other sections of the hospital that could be used by the hospice if Sheba were to update its license to reflect the needs of the hospice. The ministry said a license update was one of several ways of resolving the issue. "This is merely a bureaucratic problem, and the hospital has the option of working to resolve it," the treasury said in a statement. "However, we regret that the hospital is working to increase resources on the backs of the hospice patients. Nonetheless, we are certain that in light of the great importance of maintaining the [hospice] unit, the hospital will see fit to adopt one of the solutions that have been proposed to it." The Cancer Hospice, which was founded in 1983, consists of an inpatient unit with 18 beds and a home care unit, administered by the Israel Cancer Association, for 25 patients who live within a 30-kilometer radius of the hospital. Most of the cancer patients die within two weeks of entering the hospice, said Zaidise. "This is the only place in the central region that provides treatment of the kind that is provided in this unit, and the patients hospitalized in it die with dignity," he said. The Israel Cancer Association asked Prime Minister Ehud Olmert yesterday to act soon to prevent the closure of the hospice. "It is not possible for Israel to be marched backward in the field of treatment that supports dying patients," the association said in a letter. "Closing down the hospice means, first and foremost, an end to treatment that is of primary humanitarian importance, which the patients will not receive in a framework other than a hospice." Bookmark to del.icio.us   Death of a heroine Irena Sendler, who saved 2,500 Jews during the Holocaust, dies at 98. Apocalyptic tidings Holy See warns of nightmarish perils if Mideast nuclear arms race is not halted.

Read & React Israel on alert as clashes rage across Lebanon for sixth day Responses: 277 Olmert to Egypt: No Gaza truce if Shalit is not released Responses: 127 Lieberman: I'd join Netanyahu gov't if I received defense post Responses: 69 Akiva Eldar: If Bush was really Israel's friend, he'd stay home Responses: 89 Haaretz TV: Religious homosexuals contend with self-hatred and Haredi condemnation Responses: 85 More Headlines 02:57 Bush to Haaretz: Peace process not contingent on one man 01:45 Police search J'lem municipality for evidence PM received bribes 02:44 Lebanese army says will use force from Tues. to stop fighting 02:45 ANALYSIS / In Lebanon, the new reality has taken over 20:31 Bush: Olmert is an honest man; our relationship is 'excellent' 02:02 J'lem bracing for gridlock during Peres presidential conference 22:07 U.S. think-tank aims to infuse Jewish life with dashes of color 23:50 Woman killed as rocket directly hits Negev home 21:24 Olmert to Egypt: No Gaza truce if Shalit is not released 00:14 Actor Jon Voight visits Israeli victims of Palestinian attacks during Jerusalem trip 23:42 U.S. victims of terror in Israel sue Swiss bank for ties with Iran 21:36 11 J'lem teens suspected of racially motivated assault against Arabs Previous Editions Select Day 12 may 11 may 09 may 08 may 07 may 06 may 05 may 04 may 02 may 01 may 30 apr 29 apr

Special Offers Advertisement Dead Sea Products Buy Dead Sea mineral skin care and beauty products. Coupon code Haaretz for 10% off. Together Celebrating Israel's 60th The Jewish Agency and You - together making history Pardes Institute Summer Sessions http://www.pardes.org.il/ FAREWELL ISRAEL New Film The Coming War for Islamic Revival - View Movie Trailer The interest rates haven't changed But your profits will! Learn Hebrew online with Israel's best teachers Sign up for a trial lesson today Free the Palestinians from: Corrupt Kleptocracy, Tyrannical Theocracy, Abysmal Anarchy Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved