On the assumption that it costs some $10,000 annually to maintain one hospital bed, the proposed cut of $17 million for this purpose out of the total $40 million reduction would mean the elimination of 1,700 beds which could prove disastrous considering that Israel needs more than this amount just to overcome the present serious conditions of overcrowding, according to the report. Since the second part of the $40 million cut was supposed to be devoted to the construction of new hospitals, there will certainly be no hope for alleviating the present situation if the government and the Jewish Agency cannot find the necessary funds.
In one Item only the Jewish Agency will maintain its present share of the government budget, namely, for higher education to which it contributes 98 percent. With the Israeli citizen presently taxed to the limit, with government loans at a peak and most other sources of government revenue utilized to the limit, it is hard to see how the government will be able to make up the $185 million which the Jewish Agency has had to cut out of its budget this year. Israelis thus face a further tightening this year. Much of the squeeze unfortunately will be felt where it hurts, among the underprivileged.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
