Israel: health workers at French Hospital in Nazareth continue strike

Nurses and other health workers at Saint Vincent De Paul French Hospital in Nazareth are still on strike in protest at their lack of rights, Arab48.com reported on Monday. Doctors have been working in the hospital for thirteen consecutive days without the support of any nurse or health worker, and so are only dealing with emergencies.

The strikers explain their action by saying it follows a series of phased interruptions to work at the hospital with the aim of highlighting the issue of their rights without going to a full strike. They are on strike now because such efforts failed to bring about the desired result.

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“Since the start of the open-ended strike on 29 September,” said the Committee of Health Workers, “surgery for around 80 ear, nose and throat patients has been cancelled, with deliveries in the maternity unit down by 65 per cent.”

Nevertheless, said the committee, strike action will continue until the workers’ rights are fulfilled. “A historic institution like the French Hospital, which serves the residents of Nazareth, could have offered its services regularly if its director Dr Nael Ilyas had met our demands,” it added.