Hadassah Medical Organization director general Prof. Zeev Rotstein is conducting negotiations with medical organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on setting up a branch of the Jerusalem hospital in Dubai, KAN Channel 11 News reports. The idea arose during a recent visit by Rotstein to Dubai as part of an official Israeli delegation in which he met UAE government ministers.
"I'm thrilled that the name of Hadassah has reached the UAE and that they want to bring Hadassah to them," said Rotstein. "I could never of even have dreamed of such a thing and I pinch myself to check that it is real. They want to take Hadassah, build new homes, a series of buildings and new equipment for our staff in Dubai."
Rotstein said that Dubai has identified an opportunity to establish with Hadassah's assistance a rival to US hospital Cleveland Clinic, which has a branch in Abu Dhabi.
Rotstein stressed that the talks are still in their very early stages and a concrete proposal has not yet been formulated. At this stage Dubai wants to relocate 1,000 Hadassah doctors and nurses to Dubai with their families. Staff that want to would receive generous salaries and other conditions.
Rotstein said, ":They are offering staff amazing terms, homes, jobs, for their partners and children, free education and full healthcare. They have unlimited money. We asked that they also help here in Israel but it's not certain that that's what's in their minds."
Hadassah has for many years been coping with a budget deficit and Rotstein sees the talks for setting up a branch in Dubai as another option for his staff to get through the ongoing uncertainty created by the deficit and talks of cuts with the government.
But Rotstein insists that the talks with Dubai are not a bargaining chip in its negotiations with the Ministry of Finance. "It's not a bargaining chip because we are not in an argument with the Ministry of Finance, which must decide whether it is interested in the continued existence of Hadassah as a leading hospital in Israel or not. My hope is that Hadassah will stay in Jerusalem and we won't have to travel elsewhere. I came to Hadassah so that Hadassah would flourish and become the leading hospital in the world in Jerusalem. Anything else and I will step down in failure."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on October 26, 2020
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