Opposition victory: A
bill to establish a hospital in the city of Sakhnin was approved today (Wednesday) in a preliminary reading, despite opposition from the coalition.
The move was made possible after MK Mazen Ghanaim of Ra'am voted with the opposition, thus leading to the approval of the bill by a majority of 51 MKs. The bill will be submitted to the Knesset committee.
Thanks to MK Maram: The opposition won a vote in the plenum // Photo: Knesset Spokeswoman
At the end of a heated debate, the Knesset plenum approved in a preliminary reading the bill establishing a hospital in the city of Sakhnin (legislative amendments), 5721-2021 by MK Ayman Odeh. The Sakhnin municipality voted in favor and the proposal was approved by a vote of 51 Knesset members, compared to 50 who opposed it.
According to the bill, the director general of the Ministry of Health orders the establishment of a hospital in the city of Sakhnin.
Legislative amendments to the Planning and Building Law and the Israel Land Authority Law are also proposed in order to expedite the construction process.
MK Ghanaim from Ra'am, archive, Photo: Dudi Vaknin
The explanatory memorandum reads: "The city of Sakhnin and the surrounding localities have been characterized in recent years by a significant increase in their population, an increase that has created a gap between the growing population and the medical services provided in and around the city. Impairment of the quality of medical care Today, there is not a single government hospital in any Arab locality.
The city of Sakhnin is a central city located in an area suffering from a lack of public medicine and government hospitals, partly because it is about forty kilometers from the nearest public hospital that serves the area. "The establishment of a public hospital in the city of Sakhnin as aforesaid will serve the residents of the area, Jews as well as Arabs, and will make a crucial contribution to making public health accessible to the Arab citizens of the country in this area in particular."