'Racist incitement': Israeli medical orgs. decry allegations against Arab medical staff at Rambam

The Mersham organization of medical professionals in Israel has denounced recent allegations against Arab staff at the Rambam Health Care Campus as racist incitement. The Israeli health system is built on the collaborative efforts of doctors, nurses, and medical staff from various backgrounds, emphasizing that everyone, regardless of religion, nationality, or political stance, is treated equally.

Mersham stressed that while concerns about medical treatment must be addressed, public figures joining the attack on the staff damages the entire system. Professor Hagai Levine, Chairman of the Israel Association of Public Health Physicians, echoed this sentiment, alleging that the allegations against Rambam Hospital are sabotaging the entire Israeli health care system.

He described the false claims made on social media about treatment at Rambam as not only fake news but a dangerous blood libel aimed at dismantling the system of sanity and equality in Israel. When politicians spread misinformation about "medical death" or treating the enemy at the expense of civilians, they harm every patient, Jewish or Arab, entering the hospital.

The Mersham organization urged for an investigation into claims made by a soldier's brother who alleged mistreatment of wounded soldiers by Rambam staff during their overnight stay at the Haifa hospital. However, after an investigation, Rambam dismissed all allegations of wrongdoing by its staff. Defense Minister Israel Katz subsequently called for an IDF investigation into the allegations against Arab hospital employees accused of mistreating the four wounded soldiers.