The Health Committee, chaired by MK Yonatan Mashriki (Shas), conducted a tour at the Jerusalem District Health Office on Sunday. Committee Chair MK Mashriki said that it was important to become familiar with the activity of the District Health Office, and not only with the divisions of the Ministry of Health’s head office, because it is the District Health Office that the citizen on the ground encounters.
District Physician Prof. Zohar Mor [reviewed] characteristics of public health in the Jerusalem District, explaining that public health dealt with disease prevention, extending life expectancy, initiating activities in the community for prevention of diseases, and health improvement. The population in the Jerusalem District is marked by a rapid growth rate, currently numbering about 1,423,000 people. Of this population, 35% are children, and the birthrate stands at 38,500 births annually, representing about 20% of the total number of births in Israel. The District Health Office cooperates with rescue organizations, hospitals and HMOs, municipalities, geriatric and welfare institutions and more. The district’s budget was about NIS 121 million in 2024.
Dr. Amin Kunbar, a senior physician from east Jerusalem, said that there were about 400,000 Arab residents who received HMO services through franchise-holders and [services from] municipal well-baby clinics (“Tipat Halav”). He said that about one percent of these residents were not insured, due to problems with their legal status.
Deputy District Physician Dr. Nitza Abramson said that there was a low response rate to vaccinations in the district, which caused preventable morbidity, mainly measles. Patients suffering from measles are only reported in severe cases by the hospital. In addition, there is a decrease in registration of children for well-baby clinics, due to the burden of everyday life.
Deputy District Physician Dr. Lia Mor-Shimshi described the supervision of the hospitals and HMOs in the district, the geriatric and psychiatric institutions, and the procedure of receiving a license to establish a new institution.
Yossi Hess, the official in charge of emergency preparedness, said that since the outbreak of the Swords of Iron war, the district had received about 25,000 people who had been evacuated from their homes. He said that [the district] was preparing for emergencies in which a response would be provided to about 5,000 people receiving respiratory support in their homes, and 226 people on ventilators in the community.
District Psychiatrist Dr. Jacob Charnes said that a response was provided around the clock all year round, including on the Sabbath and Jewish holidays. He warned, however, of severe crowding in departments in the Jerusalem District.
The district nurse warned that there was a low number of nurses at the well-baby clinics, mainly due to the increased number of necessary vaccinations, and said that nurses had saved lives in some cases by house calls.
