Health Ministry under pressure ahead of decision on new hospital wing

Tensions are running high in the upper echelon of the Health Ministry ahead of tomorrow's High Court hearing on the fate of a project to reinforce a new wing at Barzilai Medical Center against rockets.

Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman recently announced that the wing would be built relatively far from the main hospital complex in Ashkelon, after an ancient burial site was discovered at the original construction site.

Finance Ministry officials said the relocation would cost at least NIS 160 million, and would be funded either with money designated for reinforcing other hospital departments or by siphoning money from various other government offices.

Health Ministry director-general Dr. Eitan Chai-Am told colleagues he would resign if the project's relocation is eventually funded with ministry money slated for developing medical services in peripheral communities.

The new wing is set to stretch over 20,000 square meters, and include reinforced emergency and operating rooms. Barzilai is a government medical center, essentially owned and operated by the Health Ministry.

The construction of a reinforced wing at the hospital has been delayed for over two years, after the Antiquities Authority discovered an ancient cemetery at the building site.

Although a contractor had already been selected for the project, it was put on indefinite hold when authorities confirmed that the graves belonged to Jews.

Over the past few months, Barzilai has asked for the construction to be re-launched, having received permission from the Chief Rabbinate to relocate the graves. Litzman, however, rejected the initiative, instructing instead that the hospital wing itself be relocated to a site currently occupied by a parking lot, far from the main medical center. Litzman's proposal is significantly more expensive than that supported by the hospital.

Ten days ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his staff decided to adopt the position of his predecessor Ehud Olmert and have the project relocated, as Litzman wished.

In response, the Finance Ministry froze funding for the reinforcement of all hospitals - some NIS 450 million, partly from government coffers and partly from private donations. The move was intended to give Litzman and the Finance Ministry an opportunity to agree on the source of funding for the relocation of Barzilai's new wing.

A high-ranking Finance Ministry official said: "The budget will come from the budget for reinforcing hospitals, or from broader government cutbacks, as was the case for funding swine flu vaccines."

The High Court will hold a hearing tomorrow on a petition filed by Ashkelon residents to continue building the new hospital wing according to the original plan. Litzman has stated that should the petition be accepted, he will resign from his post.

"After the High Court ruling, a lot of issues relating to the ministry's leadership will become clearer," said one Health Ministry official.