Psychiatric hospitals prevent parental visits Israel today

Parents of children hospitalized in Geha and Shalva Psychiatric Hospitals complain that they are not allowed to visit their children, who suffer from severe emotional and mental problems, after the visitation policy was tightened because of the corona.

The parents told Israel Today: "Our children, teenagers, are hospitalized in Geha as a result of emotional problems, some of which even worsened during the Corona period. We were surprised to receive a unilateral message from the Geha institution that parents' visits are stopped immediately. "Our children need the support of their parents during the rehabilitation phase until they leave the institution. Their lives have been turned upside down, and they need the family embrace."

The parents complain that this is an arbitrary decision that is not acceptable in other institutions.

Indeed, a reverse complaint that reached Israel Today indicates that lenders are allowed to enter general hospitals.

For example, in maternity wards, attendants are allowed in without being checked and without a green mark check.

After the parents complained to the hospital management, visits were approved under limited and problematic conditions, three times a week, half an hour to visit a single parent, direct contact between the parent and child is prohibited and there must be a fence between them.

But this outline further angers the parents.

"This detached and opaque decision is a mockery of Rash," the parents claim.

"The connotation of a meeting behind a fence, like prisoners, will only exacerbate the disconnection and emotional difficulty for our children. We demand the abolition of unreasonable restrictions."

The chairman of the health committee, MK Idit Silman, addressed the issue to Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, and she will hold a discussion on the issue in the health committee.

"The directive not to allow or restrict family visits to candidates must be examined," says MK Silman. No response was received from the health minister's office.

Clalit Health Services, which operates the hospitals, responded: "This is a temporary directive for a period of about two weeks, aimed at protecting children and staff. In closed wards, there is a fear of being verified among patients and staff, and exposure of staff will require isolation and complicate treatment." 

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