PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas
PA Chairman Mahmoud AbbasFlash 90

The Palestinian Authority's "health department" will no longer refer patients to Israeli hospitals, Wafa reported Monday.

Wafa quoted Spokesman Osama Najjar, who claimed the reason for the move is Israeli "piracy" of PA funds.

According to the PA's health department, the cost of PA Arabs using Israeli hospitals comes to approximately $100 million annually.

Undersecretary Assad Ramlawi noted that 25% of doctors working in Israeli hospitals are PA Arabs. He believes that "by localizing the service" the PA can provide medical treatment for over 95% of patients.

"[For] the rest we will find alternatives for in Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, India, and any other country, and each patient will take his right in treatment. We recently contracted Turkey to accept liver transplant cases, and with India to for heart and lungs transplants. There are outstanding alternatives to Israeli hospitals," he told Wafa, adding that patients in Gaza will be transferred to Egyptian hospitals.

Najjar added that "the current patients who received medical transfers to Israeli hospitals will continue to receive treatment until completion and will not be affected by the decision."