The number of beds at Shaare Zedek Medical Center's intensive care unit will be almost doubled in time for the winter in order to prepare for the coronavirus pandemic converging with the seasonal flu, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein announced on Sunday during a visit to the hospital.
"Our health system is working to be best prepared for the winter, with the goal of being ready to confront the coronavirus and the seasonal flu at the same time," Edelstein said, adding that another 12 more ICU beds would be added to the 14 currently in place.
Edelstein was accompanied during the visit by Likud MK Keti Shitrit, the medical center's president Prof. Jonathan Halevy, and director-general Prof. Ofer Merin, who presented the hospital's ongoing preparedness and its plans ahead of the projected increase in coronavirus and flu cases during the fall and winter months.
During the visit, Edelstein visited the coronavirus units, and met with medical and nursing staff to discuss the difficulties involved in caring for coronavirus patients.
"I am sure that the residents of Jerusalem will receive the professional healthcare they need in dealing with what lies ahead," the health minister said.
Jerusalem is currently one of the cities in Israel with the highest concentration of the virus.
Merin also outlined the budgetary challenges facing the hospital resulting from the outbreak and the budgetary inequalities between government funded hospitals and public-private medical centers such as Shaare Zedek.
"Since the first days of this period that we are in now, Shaare Zedek has been operating on the forefront of this battle against the coronavirus, and we need the support of the government to continue with many of the activities this entails," Merin said.
"The inequality that has existed in our health system for many years has become ever more apparent over the last half year and it is incumbent upon the state to address this issue. I thank the minister and MK Shitrit for the visit, and am very pleased to see that the minister and his professional staff appreciate the needs of Shaare Zedek. I very much hope this will lead to comprehensive solutions for the challenges facing public-private hospitals," he said.
Shitrit, who serves on the Finance and Labor, Welfare and Health committees, added: “This visit comes following a Knesset session I initiated last week in the Finance Committee addressing the budgetary challenges facing the public-private hospitals. This visit revealed up-close the hard work of the staff and the many challenges the hospital is facing, both on the financial and operational levels as a result of coronavirus, and the large gap that exists between support of government hospitals and public-private hospitals.
"I also raised the issue of the activities of the health funds, which prevent patients from choosing which hospital they will be treated in. This is an issue which demands reform, and I have full confidence in the leadership of the minister and his office.”