Jerusalem hospital at risk of closure blames PA for crisis

An East Jerusalem hospital faces the risk of closure due to financial difficulties which it blames on the Palestinian Authority, a statement said on Sunday. The hospital administration and employees union accuse the Palestinian Authority of failing to pay for patients receiving medical treatment, leading to a large financial deficit in the hospital budget. "Al-Maqasid Hospital is supposedly the main recipient of patients referred by the PA ministry of health from the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip," a statement said. "However, the ministry has failed to pay for the cases referred and as a result the hospital ran into huge debts. We had to borrow tens of millions from local banks and pay interests, and since we couldn't pay it back, banks are refusing to give us loans anymore." The statement was signed by Dr. Arafat al-Hidmi, head of Al-Maqasid charitable society, Dr. Bassam Abu Libdah, director of the hospital, and Dr. Ali al-Husseini, secretary of the union of employees. Al-Maqasid hospital in the Mount of Olives was established in 1968 to receive patients from the West Bank and Gaza as an economical alternative to Israeli hospitals. It largely caters to patients from low income backgrounds. The hospital has nine sections and the only 24-hour emergency department in East Jerusalem.