Olmert and the head of the Medicine Basket committee are scheduled to meet today, and will apparently make the decision to increase the committee's budget. In light of this development, the Supreme Court today pushed off its hearing on a petition by the hunger-striking colon cancer patients for a week.
The cancer patients, who have been hunger-striking outside the Knesset for over two weeks, say that if an "appropriate sum" is not added to the basket of subsidized medicines by this afternoon, other organizations will join them in their strike.
Workers unions, handicapped, students, Zaka members and others have said they are considering joining the strike. The head of a medicine workers' union said today, "There must be a comprehensive decision that will enable every citizen to know that if he gets sick, he will be able to receive the medicine he needs."
Dr. Yoram Blashar, head of the Israel Medical Association, said that the yearly costs of paying for every single medicine needed by all those who are sick would be about a billion shekels. He said that this is a sum that could be met, but "the problem is that the entire health network has been dragging along a running deficit of ten billion shekels since 1995."
MK Danny Naveh of the Likud, who served as Health Minister in Ariel Sharon's government, said today that Value Added Tax should not have to be paid on medicines that are not in the basket.
The cancer patients, who have been hunger-striking outside the Knesset for over two weeks, say that if an "appropriate sum" is not added to the basket of subsidized medicines by this afternoon, other organizations will join them in their strike.
Workers unions, handicapped, students, Zaka members and others have said they are considering joining the strike. The head of a medicine workers' union said today, "There must be a comprehensive decision that will enable every citizen to know that if he gets sick, he will be able to receive the medicine he needs."
Dr. Yoram Blashar, head of the Israel Medical Association, said that the yearly costs of paying for every single medicine needed by all those who are sick would be about a billion shekels. He said that this is a sum that could be met, but "the problem is that the entire health network has been dragging along a running deficit of ten billion shekels since 1995."
MK Danny Naveh of the Likud, who served as Health Minister in Ariel Sharon's government, said today that Value Added Tax should not have to be paid on medicines that are not in the basket.