Kosher for Pesach hospitals

As per the Supreme Court decision last year that would require hospitals to allow patients or visitors to bring chametz in, the hospitals are technically no longer to have their guards stop people form bringing in chametz. It became known that Hadassah Hospital had "asked its employees" and patients and visitors to agree willingly to not bring chametz in over Pesach.

To that end, Minister of Health Nitzan Horowitz sent letters to all hospitals in Israel saying that they must adhere to the Supreme Court decision to allow employees or patient and visitors in and to bring their chametz in should they wish to. Guards at the doors are not allowed to prevent people form coming in with chametz.

Horowitz said that we must allow each patient to act how he wishes in this regard, without coercion. Patients in the hospital and their families would be happy to be home and eat with their families in their homes and not in the hospital, but because they have to be in the hospital we must safeguard their dignity of both those who wish to fulfill the mitzvot of the holiday and of those who do not wish to.

MK Uri Maklev is understandably upset but his claim that this will prevent people from getting necessary healthcare is fear-mongering. It might be complicated for the hospitals to ensure a kosher for Pesach atmosphere, especially when some patients or visitors might bring chametz in but it must be possible because all over the world religious and traditional Jews get hospital care on Pesach while most of the hospital is a chametz environment. It would be nice if everyone in Israel cared about staying chametz-free, but even then there are non-Jews in Israel who have no reason to stay chametz-free, thus this is not the case. 

We needn't be so sensitive that even the mere knowing someone else in the hospital might have chametz has to bother us and prevent us from getting the care we need because there is chametz nearby. The hospital will have ways to serve Kosher for Pesach foods and that's all you need to worry about. The patient in the next room eating a pita, or the patient 3 floors up eating a pita, is not going to affect you. If you need healthcare over Pesach, go get it. You will be fine with the Kosher for Pesach food. Stop worrying so much about what everyone else is doing.

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