Over 50 consultants at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) demanded that the state not give medication manufactured by the Israeli company Teva Pharmaceuticals, where “viable alternatives” are available, according to Irish media reports.
Teva, an Israeli multinational manufacturer of both generic and specialist medication, has a strong presence in Ireland despite the country’s recent push to adopt policies encouraging the boycott of Israeli goods.
Teva reportedly responded to the consults’ demand by stating any boycott of its medicine could “impose a risk on the health and well-being” of patients.
In a letter to CHI chief executive Lucy Nugent and Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill on Friday, 57 pediatric consultants claimed they were concerned about “the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, which has been widely recognized as meeting the legal definition of genocide by leading international authorities, including the United Nations and the International Court of Justice.”
Ireland previously joined South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ, cementing the country’s position on Israel’s war against Hamas. The country has also previously urged that the definition of “genocide” be altered to better fit the ongoing conflict.
“We respectfully request that CHI take immediate steps to discontinue the procurement and use of pharmaceuticals manufactured by Teva where viable alternatives exist,” the letter continued.
The consultants accused Teva of operating ”under the jurisdiction of and contributing to the economy of a state currently under investigation for genocide.”
As an Israeli company, paying tax to the Israeli government, the consultants further alleged, it “directly funds the diplomatic and military resources employed by the Israeli government to carry out a genocide and silence dissent domestically and internationally.”
“The company provides Israeli forces with medical supplies and donations. These resources have been used to slaughter patients, health professionals, and utterly destroy the healthcare infrastructure in Gaza,” the letter continued.
A spokesman for Teva told the Irish Times it adheres to the “highest standards in ethics and business practices”. He said its patients “rely on regular and reliable supply of medicines” and, as one of the largest manufacturers of generic medicines, Teva remains “committed to ensuring that our quality medicines remain available to our patients, regardless of their religion, beliefs, or ethnicity”.
“Any boycott on Teva may impose a risk on the health and well-being of those patients, the healthcare systems we serve, our global workforce and their families,” the spokesman said.
“Last year our activities directly contributed $226m to the Irish economy, and our broad portfolio of generic medicines has helped the Irish health system realise more than €1.5 billion through generic substitutions over the past decade,” he added.
Ireland's public service struggles to give up Israeli innovation
This is not the first time that public services in Ireland have been asked to bear the burden of declining relations with Israel.
In March, it was reported that Ireland’s police force, the Garda Síochána, was fighting against pressure to give up Israeli technology, which helped solve violent crimes.
Gardaí Commissioner Drew Harris said Cellebrite was essential for extracting data from computers and phones that could solve crimes - including violent crimes like murders.
“It’s a tool that we need to properly investigate crime that has some form of cyber or digital element,” Harris said. “And certainly all of the serious crime we are investigating has that element with them. When you look at the detections we’re getting, the crimes we’re preventing, and the convictions that there are, we’d be very reluctant to step away from a very important tool.”