Bikur Cholim Hospital

Bikur Cholim Hospital was a 200-bed general hospital in West Jerusalem, established in 1826 and which closed around 2020. Until then, it was the oldest hospital in the country still operating. Bikur Cholim had obstetrics and cardiology departments, a modern neonatal intensive care unit, a pediatrics department, and bariatric and plastic surgery units. After 2010 it treated some 60,000 patients annually. With 700 administrators, doctors, nurses, technicians and cleaners, it was one of Jerusalem's largest downtown employers. One-third of the doctors were Israeli Arabs, many of whom chose Bikur Holim for their residencies. In December 2012 the hospital was taken over by Shaare Zedek Medical Center and continued to function as a branch of Shaare Zedek. The main hospital was then closed down, with the building on Haneviim (Prophets') Street, the maternity ward, which serves the residents of the nearby neighborhoods and various clinics, continuing to operate. At the same time, plans were submitted to the planning authorities for the restoration of the historic structure and its integration into a complex that includes commercial and housing areas. In 2020, the authorities decided to also close the maternity ward, following guidelines which require such wards be located next to hospitals that can provide special medical services in case they are needed

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