Jerusalem

Health Care

Jerusalem's best-known health care institution is the Hadassah Medical Organization, which operates hospitals at Ein Kerem and Mount Scopus. The 700-bed Ein Kerem Hospital is known for pioneering work with in vitro fertilization, bone marrow transplantation, laser surgery, gene therapy, and other areas. With 300 beds, the Hadassah Hospital at Mount Scopus serves the Jewish and Arab population of northern and eastern Jerusalem, providing facilities which include a physical rehabilitation center, a neonatal intensive care unit, and a hospice to care for the terminally ill. In 1998, the two hospitals recorded a combined total of 72,893 hospitalization, 250,952 outpatient visits, 22,068 major surgeries, and 114,992 emergency room admissions.

Other hospitals in Jerusalem include Sha'are Tzedeq, which specializes in meeting the needs of Orthodox Jewish patients; Biqur Holim; al-Maqasid al-Khayriyah, a Muslim hospital; St. John's Ophthalmic Hospital; and Ezrat Hashim, a psychiatric facility. The Magen David Adom ("red star of David") and the Red Crescent, counterparts of the Red Cross, provide supplementary emergency services to the city.