Dozens of nurses, hospital workers, and management participated this morning in protest rallies at Hadassah Ein Kerem and Mount Scopus.
Director of Hadassah Ein Kerem, Professor Yoram Weiss opened the event by saying, “Once again, unfortunately, we are forced to start our morning with a protest rally and deal with the fact that medical staff and nurses are harmed during the course of their work. All of us – nurses, workers and doctors – we are all represented here this morning, and we all took an oath to care for others. But when that person harms us, we must demand that the state that it do everything possible to defend us. Moreover, every citizen and family must understand that when their relative is violent against one of us, that crosses a red line. I hope this is the last time we have to meet at such an event. I would now like to request that we stand in silence for 30 seconds as a united sign of protest.”
Dr. Rely Alon, Deputy Director of Nursing at Hadassah said at the rally, “Today is another sad morning on which we call for zero tolerance for violence. It is inconceivable that staff coming to work feel like they are in a battlefield. We were trained to care for patients, that’s the reason we come here – for them. We wear the hospital uniform. It is inconceivable that a nurse – Tova Kararo, may her memory be a blessing, was murdered by a patient, and another nurse was stabbed by a patient who took the law into his own hands because he felt he did not receive the best treatment. A few months ago a committee was formed with Professor Mor Yosef at its head –previously the director of the hospital. The committee recommended various measures, including increasing enforcement to create a law to protect us. Do we really need to be protected when we come to work? Israeli society is violent, the 3,000 cases of violence throughout the country each year proves this. I turn to the Knesset and request, adopt the committee’s recommendations. I am committed to the staff of this hospital and I will do everything to empower and protect them.
Member of Knesset, Merav Michaeli participated in the rally at Hadassah Ein Kerem and is herself the daughter of a nurse. She said, “I know that you don’t just work, this is your calling and mission in life. You chose a profession in which you treat people in distress and save lives on a daily basis. Then you find that your own lives forsaken. It’s intolerable. It cannot be. The biggest problem is the lack of manpower in our health system, there isn’t enough to staff to care for all those who need it. You are the first line of health services in Israel, and the first to pay the price. The government must understand that all this talk about security has no meaning if we cannot ensure security for hospital staff. The health system is one of the most amazing resources in the State of Israel. We must guard it. I call on the government to come to its senses and do so immediately.”
