Hadassah doctors call for mediation over Mor-Yosef

Union of senior physicians wants HMO director-general to retain his post for a few more years.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
mor-yosef (photo credit: Judy Siegel)
mor-yosef
(photo credit: Judy Siegel)
The union of Hadassah Medical Organization senior physicians has proposed that a mediator be chosen to reach an agreement with the Hadassah Women’s Organization of America to enable HMO director-general Prof. Shlomo Mor-Yosef to retain his post for a few more years.
Union head Prof. Avinoam Reches, a senior neurologist at Hadassah University Medical Center at Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem, sent such a suggestion on behalf of himself and his colleagues to HWZOA national president Nancy Falchuk, who is in Jerusalem this week.
The mediator, he said, should be “familiar with both Israeli andAmerican culture and mentality” and “acceptable to both sides.”Mor-Yosef, who has served as director-general for nine years and isregarded as one of Israel’s leading medical administrators, was told byHWZOA two months ago that he may not continue beyond January 2010. Themove caused an uproar among the entire HMO staff, who said they wanthim to continue at least until the opening of the massivehospitalization tower to open in 2012 to mark the HWZOA’s centennial.
Reches,who is due to enter retirement in three years and said he has no vestedinterest, declared that even though the doctors union has asked Falchukfor explanations of the dismissal, “we have not yet received anyexplanations as to where Prof. Mor-Yosef failed in his position and whyhis contract has not been renewed.”