About eight percent of maternity in Israel in 2021 paid for the service of a maternity hotel, but according to a report by the Knesset's Research and Information Center, the Ministry of Health has not yet regulated the Western field of private service within public medicine.
According to the report, the ministry did not establish a procedure for operating hotels to prevent the use of manpower and infrastructure of public hospitals for private medical purposes, even though the state comptroller commented to the ministry 12 years ago.
The report, commissioned by MK Meir Porush, reviews the activities of four hotels, which operate at Sheba, Assaf Harofeh, Hadassah Ein Kerem and Ichilov hospitals.
In the first two, the hotels are operated by their health corporations, in Ichilov the hotel is privately owned, and also the one in Hadassah "operates as an independent business for everything."
The hotels, which offer a paid private service, employ a nursing and medical staff from the hospitals.
Hadassah and Ichilov noted that the hotel pays for the escort of medical and nursing staff from the hospital, but the report notes that "it can not be guaranteed that there is no diversion of medical and nursing staff from public to private medicine, because hotels offer medical service based on hospital staff."
Client of the report: MK Porush, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Essential or luxury?
From the information in the report, it is not possible to learn about the extent of the medical and nursing staff who provide services in maternity hotels. In 2021, there were 2,483 women in the Assaf Harofeh Hotel, which offers 17 rooms; No data were provided by the mothers, nor from the hotel in Ichilov.
The cost of a night in a hotel in Sheba is NIS 1,700-900, in Assaf the doctor it is NIS 1,150-950, in Hadassah NIS 1,195-840, and in Ichilov it starts at NIS 2,000.
This is a private service that is not included in the health basket, but in some cases is included in the supplementary insurance of the health funds.
The report states that in terms of national expenditure on health, this is double funding because the Social Security pays about 15,000 shekels for each mother to the hospital, but at the same time the hospital receives a private payment for the hotel from that mother. " A dresser is unattainable, and the question arises: if it is an essential health service, why is it not offered to all mothers, and if it is not essential, why is it offered in a public hospital? "Reads the report.
Losses or gains?
Another interesting issue deals with the profits of the hospitals from the operation of the hotels.
The Ministry of Health told the research center that "the activity of the hotels in Sheba and Assaf Harofeh is a loss, and the corporation absorbs the losses."
However, the hospitals replied that the operation of the hotels is profitable: in Sheba the profit is about NIS 1 million a year and in the doctor's collection about NIS 400,000.
"If it is a loss-making activity, why do health corporations continue to provide it?"
The report's writers wonder.
Harsh criticism.
Health Minister Horowitz, Photo: Coco
The research center criticizes the Ministry of Health, which did not regulate the activities of hotels.
The ministry said that it had previously prepared a procedure on the subject, but it was not published.
The ministry also said they were aware of difficulties in running the hotels, such as creating an economic incentive for hospitals to release maternity patients quickly;
Potential shift of manpower from hospital to motel;
Fear of doubling payment for childbirth;
Mixing public service with private and potential for discrimination on economic grounds.
"The Ministry of Health believes that the service provided to all inpatients in hospitals, including maternity wards, should be at an adequate hotel level so that every mother will enjoy good hotel conditions regardless of her ability," they noted.
The Ministry of Health responded: "Postpartum hospitalization is scheduled for three days, and five days postpartum by caesarean section, in order to maintain the health and safety of the newborn and female mothers. "Medical is required. It is important to note that in exceptional cases where there is a significant reduction in the duration of hospitalization, this is done in order in coordination with the Ministry of Health."
Were we wrong?
Fixed!
If you found an error in the article, we'll be happy for you to share it with us
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/IGZ7GOCXZ5GUPAQ2HWGK6Z76BU.jpg)