Let's start with a basic of medical care.

Anything that makes the patient more comfortable physically and mentally assists in the patient's recovery.

Communication with family helps the patient be more comfortable.

Communication with the family helps the patient's family (and by extension the patient) be more comfortable.

There is no electronic reason to ban them.

If you don't like cell phones in hospitals, there's a simple solution. Find a hospital that bans them, and go there.

You'll probably even be able to get a private room at a decent rate, as I don't think they'll have many willing patrons.