The National Institute for Health Policy Research held today (Monday) the “Voters of Health” event, in which representatives of the parties running for the Knesset addressed the state of the health system and discussed the treatment of the corona crisis. Right-wingers and Torah Judaism were absent from the event.
Regarding the issue of budgeting: “We have managed to bring in a large addition of medical staff and still need more manpower. My fear is that they will say: ‘We have added tens of billions to the health system. Now is the time to focus on education, welfare and security.’
Edelstein: Checking for a reserved option that will not be vaccinated – will be checked to Corona every 48 hours // Photo: GPO
“It would be a bitter mistake of course if they neglected the budget of the health system,” he added. “The corona has taught us just the opposite – investing in the healthcare system is smart in the long run.”
On the race to buy the vaccines: “If we had taken the approach of some who wanted to keep half a shekel while the house was on fire – there would not have been a single vaccinated person in Israel.”
“The investigation into the Yom Kippur War is small compared to what they will do about the corona”
Representatives of the parties referred to the functioning of the government. “There were things we succeeded in and there were things we did not. We also influenced from within the government on the health issue,” said Tourism Minister Orit Farkash HaCohen (blue and white). “I think the defense establishment in general and the Home Front Command in particular had a tremendous and large role in Corona. Bennett wrote a book about the plague, but did not run the Home Front Command in this way,” she added.
According to MK Orna Barbibai (There is a Future), “To say that billions have been spilled is not to understand the reality. Billions have been poured in, but it’s too little and too late. The research on the Yom Kippur War will be small compared to the research they will do on the corona. The thought that a lot of money has been spilled on the health care system and that is what will save it – this is a false reality. The internal departments were at the forefront of action and did not receive the required response. Many people did not come to hospitals and avoided treatment – they are not counted in the death toll. “
“Transfer from the defense budget to health”
MK Ofer Kasif (joint list) claimed: “The closure was a scandal. Public distrust was acquired because of a government zigzag and because of puzzling and unclear decisions. The public tells itself that if the decisions of the government in Corona are confidential for thirty years, then how can one believe it ?! “
Representatives were asked if the health tax should be raised after the plague is over. “We will not raise the health tax at this stage,” Barbibai said. “Inheritance taxation needs to be imposed in order to add a budget to the rehabilitation of the health care system,” explained Emily Moati of Labor. “We have a lot of proposals for taxation to finance civil services and I am not afraid of raising taxes for health services as well,” said MK Tamar Zandberg (Meretz).
“To rehabilitate the health care system, there is no need to raise taxes. The money must be brought from a war on the black market,” suggested Michal Waldiger of Religious Zionism. Kasif proposed increasing the budget through progressive tax. MK Moshe Abutbul of Shas stated: “Budgets should be transferred from the Ministry of Health to the health system. It should come from the defense budget.”