Chief Medical Officer Brigadier General Tarif Bader
Chief Medical Officer Brigadier General Tarif BaderIDF Spokesman

Knesset Subcommittee on Human Resources Chairman MK Amir Ohana (Likud) was surprised to discover that Chief Medical Officer Brigadier General Tarif Bader was absent from this morning's hearing dealing with medical treatment of IDF soldiers.

Ohana asked the IDF representative present, Brigadier General Ziv Avtalion, "Did the Chief Medical Officer want to arrive but was not allowed to, or did he not want to come here?" Avtalion replied: "This is a question I have no answer to."

Ombudsman for soldiers Major General (res.) Yitzhak Brick added: "I have an answer. Yesterday I spoke to him. He wanted to come and was forbidden."

MK Betzalel Smotrich (Jewish Home) responded sarcastically, "The army sends representatives to the Knesset only for left-wing symposia and to lobby against religioization."

MK Anat Berko (Likud), a Lt. Col. in the reserves, also attacked the Chief Medical Officer's absence: "Now in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee's discussion medical treatment of soldiers is being discussed but the Chief Medical Officer isn't participating in the discussion. I immediately raised this in committee.

"I will work with the Defense Minister to have the army train more military doctors and for soldiers to receive proper medical care as they deserve, to be available in routine and emergency situations," she added.