PA stops cancer patients from being treated in Israel

From PCHR:

The Ministry of Health in Ramallah issued a decision decreasing transfers of patients to Israeli hospitals starting from 02 November 2011, and the Department of External Treatment in Gaza has been committed to this decision. The decision is attributed, according to sources of the Ministry, to the high costs of treatment in Israeli hospitals. These sources pointed out that this decision had been studied and discussed in the Ministry of Health for years, but it was delayed due the need of some patients, especially those suffering from serious or incurable diseases in need of treatment in advanced health facilities, and because Israeli hospitals are closer to the Gaza Strip than Egypt and Jordan.

This decision has led to stopping dozens of transfers of patients who suffer from serious diseases, 90% of them cancer patients, whose treatment is not available in the Gaza Strip. It has also endangered the lives of dozens of patients who are in critical conditions and whose transfer to Egyptian hospitals is not possible due to the long distance. Furthermore, not all medical treatment for their diseases is available in hospitals in Jerusalem or the West Bank. Two children died as they urgently needed advanced medical treatment, but the Ministry of Health transferred them to hospitals that cannot treat their diseases. Those hospitals apologized for not admitting them, and the Ministry of Health did not transfer them to Israeli Hospitals.

The PA manages to find money to pay families of terrorist "martyrs" and prisoners, and for TV shows filled with incitement against Jews and Israel, but money for patients with life-threatening diseases just dries up.

Although PCHR doesn't say this, there is very possibly another reason why the Palestinian Authority doesn't want patients in Israeli hospitals: because it provides good PR for Israel, and that is anathema.

Arab leaders - including the current PA leaders - have been treating Palestinian Arabs as stateless pawns for years just to make Israel look bad. Why would it surprise anyone that they might choose to let a few of their people die to avoid having their lives saved by the hated Zionists?

(h/t David G)