The chairman of the committee tasked with the creation of a basket of medications subsidized by the government has threatened to resign due to the government's insistence to put off decisions on the basket until after coalition wrangling.
Professor Mordechai Shani, the chairman of the committee, expressed his outrage that the Kadima-run Finance Ministry had agreed to the introduction of just seven out of the 22 drugs recommended by the committee – an approval of less than half of the proposed budget.
In the end, the government approved a 300 million shekel increase –far below the 466 million the committee had recommended, but more than the 200 million that caused Shani to publicly threaten resignation.
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Sunday that the government was doing everything it could to provide for those in need of drugs.
Health union chairman Yoram Belsher, speaking with Army Radio, dismissed Olmert's statements. "He is refusing to approve the entire sum so that he can use the money to pay off prospective coalition partners."
Rabbi Yitzhak Levy (NU/NRP) also severely criticized the government for putting those dependent on such medications in such a precarious position. "The government is brutalizing the sick and making their very lives dependent on the results of coalition negotiations," he said. "I call upon the parties that pretend to represent social matters to announce the postponement of all coalition negotiations until the health basket is expanded as per the committee's recommendations."
Shas Chairman Eli Yishai gave his blessing to the decision to expand the basket, but said that there are many other areas in which citizens are in danger. "The widening of the health basket is not the end of of the line," he said. "We must – already today – begin discussing how to save more people – this is a national obligation."
A protest took place in front of the Prime Minister's Office Sunday. Taking part in the protest were patients whose drugs are not yet covered, as well as members of the committee. Drugs treating cancer, asthma, AIDS, certain mental illness, stunted growth and others are not included in the government's proposed basket.