Soroka Medical Center Director Dr. Ehud Davidson hopes that the flow of politicians and journalists to show solidarity with Beersheva will continue when peace and quiet returns.
He told "Globes,", "I hope that when everything is over they will talk to us not about shelters and wounded soldiers but also about health gaps between central Israel and the periphery, and the fact that people in the Negev live 6-8 years less."
Davidson is considered one of Clalit Health Services most outstanding managers.
"Globes: You know you are likely to be disappointed. Promises are made when you are being shot at and you're ignored afterwards, isn't that so?
"I can't be disappointed about what hasn't happened yet. I hope that people mean what they say and promise me. Let me give you an example of something they've been promising us for years. We have a neo-natal care unit built 25 years ago and somebody thought that a glass ceiling with the sun's rays coming through would be good for the babies. I guess Hamas has other ideas. It is one of the most overcrowded units in Israel because of the region's high birth rate.
Why do most donations end up in the center of the country? Why doesn't the government set up a special body to channel donations according to importance?
"There was an American fund that nearly donated to us but they first wanted to see how many Israelis had donated. For Americans it is important to see that they are part of an overall community campaign. Regrettably we only had a very thin list and the fund withdrew."
"It would be good to have such a body and its worth considering it but my understanding is that contributions are a very personal matter and the result of a direct connection between donor and the organization receiving the donation. Sometimes its identification with the place and sometimes between family that was treated there but ultimately a hospital in the periphery has less donations because alongside good intentions the donor prefers to see his name on a plaque in Tel Aviv's Weizmann Street than Rager Boulevard in Beersheva. We received a very large donation from Haim Saban but regrettably there is no more than one Haim Saban."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on July 28, 2014
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2014