Well-Baby Clinics for Bedouins in the Negev Have Been Reopened
- ACRI
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
On February 16, 2026, ACRI, together with Physicians for Human Rights and Itach–Ma’aki, contacted the Minister of Health to demand the reopening of the well-baby clinic (Tipat Halav) in the Bedouin community of Bir Hadaj, which was closed in August 2025.
There are two Tipat Halav clinics in Bir Hadaj. One has been closed for a long time, while the other, which served approximately 500 women and their children, was closed following break-ins and damage to the building and equipment. The Ministry of Health referred the women, who do not have access to public transportation or other reliable forms of transportation, to Tipat Halav clinics located approximately 20-25 miles (30-40km) away.
In the appeal, Fatma Sabah from Physicians for Human Rights, Attorney Hagar Shechter from ACRI, and Attorney Rasha Alattawneh from Itach–Ma’aki argued that responsibility for repairing the damage caused to the clinic lies with the Ministry of Health, and that the Ministry is penalizing hundreds of women and infants for a crime they had nothing to do with. Additionally, the proposed solution for mothers and their babies to go to other clinics further away does not meet the Ministry of Health’s obligation to provide well-baby services to infants and their parents, since it would take anyone without a private vehicle several hours of travel in each direction. It also became clear that even those who were prepared to journey to the clinics were unable to schedule appointments, because these clinics were not listed as providing services to the mothers from Bir Hadaj. The result is that babies are not receiving vaccinations, follow-up care, monitoring, or basic preventive healthcare services. This is particularly troubling considering that this is a population for which infant mortality rates are significantly higher than the national average in Israel.
In the appeal, we demanded that the Ministry of Health:
Immediately reopen the Tipat Halav Clinic in Bir Hadaj and restore regular services for residents and infants;
Repair the building and equipment (including electrical infrastructure and vaccine refrigeration);
End conditioning the provision of services on resident funding or on “quiet,” and to handle break-ins and vandalism through law enforcement without harming children and parents.
The day after we submitted the appeal, we were informed that the clinic in Bir Hadaj is expected to reopen next week, and that the clinic in the village of Abu Qaf, which was closed for the same reasons, was reopened.
The organizations’ appeal, February 16, 2026 (Heb)
