Haredi Hospital Among The Most Dangerous – Inadequate Staffing, Rusty Equipment, Poor Sanitation

The Maayanei Hayeshua Medical Center in Bnei Brak is a privately funded haredi hospital whose slogan is, "Holding healthcare to a higher standard. After a rocky start several years ago, MHMC more recently received good publicity(*) under its new management. But MHMC has now been found by Israel's Ministry of Health to be dangerously deficient in staffing, unsanitary and poorly run. Ha'aretz reports:

…The review found that the anesthetists on call for the operating room have "at best" completed the first stage of their specialization and "sometimes have not even taken those exams." The duty resident, a senior anesthetist, "is usually not called." The review states that "anesthesia administered by an anesthetist who is not an expert, especially if he has not taken the first-stage exams, without an expert anesthetist being present, endangers the patient. This is particularly the case during Caesarian sections, where general anesthesia is among the most dangerous sort. Therefore the presence of at least one expert anesthetist is paramount."

An anesthetist, who is not the doctor in the operating room, must also be present in the recovery unit, and "an experienced doctor" must be the one to release patients to the wards, the report states.

The report also warned that the hospital does not have an active blood bank, making it potentially difficult to meet emergency needs at peek times.

The number of nurses on staff "has decreased to a minimum," the review found: there is a shortage of nurses in the hospitalization wards, especially in delivery and operating rooms. Furthermore, nurses do not undergo refresher courses on CPR, and "an atmosphere of frustration" is rife among them.

The review also discovered that staff needs for operating rooms "do not meet safety requirements." Beginning at 3 P.M., there is no nurse in the recovery room attached to the operating rooms, despite the many surgeries performed in the afternoon and night. Instead, nurses are brought in as needed, some of them "practical nurses," "not one of which has the appropriate skills."

In addition, the review cited a long list of safety violations involving "rusty equipment" and a "low level of cleanliness" in the pediatrics ward, including a kitchenette used to prepare baby food, and carts containing dirty laundry situated near the kitchen.

(*) This "good publicity" was found primarily in the haredi press, for example, this article from the European/Israeli Yated Ne'eman.

You'll note that the hospital directors openly lie – the government's findings predate the Yated article, and were only made public after Ha'aretz uncovered the information. (Israel protects hospitals by keeping this type of information hidden.)

In the Ha'aretz piece, the hospital administration admits the deficiencies and claims they have now been corrected. A senior Health Ministry source tells Ha'aretz that is only partially true, and serious deficiencies remain.

In another article Yated Ne'eman notes the important role leading haredi rabbis have in the day-to-day operations of the hospital:

…HaRav Yitzchok Zilberstein expressed his pleasure at the continued development of the medical center, where leading poskim are consulted along every step of the way. "Maran Hashevet Levi and Maran Rebbe Nissim Karelitz set aside significant amounts of time to answer questions, guide, assist and advise this important place in every way possible," he said. "Every time a question is brought to their doorstep they address it without delay and provide the directors with clear answers all the time, demonstrating that the place is dear and important in their eyes.…

Apparently not "dear" enough to keep it clean, sanitary and legally staffed.

Comments

[Garnel Ironheart]

Not to excuse this but is the situation similar in other hospitals or might this be unique to the hospital culture at Mayanei Hayeshuah?
For example, are there public hospitals with the same issues?
And does the Laniado hospital which is also chareidi have the same problems?

[Shmarya]

These are highly irregular findings.

While all medical facilities will have some problems, the problems at MHMC are flagrant and willful.

[Isa]

I had two operations.
Before the first operation I asked the anesthetist how is oxygen is monitored? He pointed to a mass spectrometer and said the gas coming out of me is constantly monitored as to content-I felt relieved. As it will respond INSTANTLY to any cut off of oxygen. Thereby giving the doctors EXTRA time to figure out what is happening.
Second operation at another hospital. I asked the same question . He pointed out a little thing that was on my finger that montored oxygen in my blood. Not all that great because there is delay of ~ 30 seconds before the doctors realize something is happening. This is the least acceptable. You got about 3 MINUTES before your brain starts going dead.
You need to ask this question before your operation is schedualed.