Hadassah faces scrutiny over Limassol centre and lack of notice to Israeli ministries

Limassol, Cyprus. Hadassah Hospital faces scrutiny following Israeli media reports that it opened a medical centre in Limassol without notifying the Israeli ministries responsible for overseeing its operations and finances.

Ministries seek financial review

Israel’s health and finance ministries said neither had received advance notification of the project. They called for its implications for Hadassah’s finances and healthcare provision in Israel to be examined.

The health ministry said the proposal had still not been submitted to it. According to Israeli media, Hadassah received state funding of 162 million shekels, equivalent to more than €46.5 million, last year.

Media coverage also raised questions about Hadassah’s earnings from providing its brand, expertise and doctors’ time, and reported plans for further expansion in Cyprus.

Hadassah says investors financed centre

Hadassah maintained that the hospital “did not invest a single shekel” in the Limassol facility, saying Cypriot investors financed the project.

The hospital said its contribution would consist of medical expertise and clinical guidance. It also said the venture would enhance Israel’s image internationally.

Hadassah’s governing bodies in Israel approved the opening of Hadassah Medical Centre in Limassol. Those bodies included the Women’s Zionist Organisation of America, the organisation that founded the hospital.

Patients received since July

Located in Ayios Tychonas, the centre started receiving patients in July. Its formal inauguration took place last Thursday, following financing by local investors.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog described the facility as “an important new chapter in relations between Israel and Cyprus”.