Israeli Healthcare Report Reveals Sixfold Pay Gaps Among Doctors

A new report from Israel's Ministry of Finance reveals significant and "extreme" wage disparities within the public healthcare system. The report, covering 2023-2024, shows that top-earning specialist doctors in hospitals can make over 100,000 shekels (approximately $27,000 USD) per month, while those at the lower end of the spectrum earn around 17,000 shekels (approximately $4,600 USD), a difference of sixfold. Similar disparities exist in community healthcare.

The report analyzes the salaries of approximately 134,000 healthcare workers across hospitals, health corporations, and HMOs. The average monthly salary for a hospital worker is 20,071 shekels, with a median of 16,564 shekels. In community healthcare, the average is 18,640 shekels, with a median of 13,396 shekels. These figures exclude independent physicians.

Further exacerbating the issue are gender pay gaps, with women earning up to 40% less than men in community healthcare and 19% less in hospitals. This is attributed largely to differences in "additional work" components and fewer women in management roles that offer more on-call opportunities. The type of medical institution also impacts earnings, with general hospitals paying more than geriatric or psychiatric facilities, primarily due to higher payments for additional work and on-call duties.

The report also highlights a looming workforce shortage, noting that a quarter of specialist doctors are nearing retirement age. While the number of healthcare workers has grown, the Ministry of Finance warns that the ratio of doctors to the population may decline without proactive measures, such as increasing medical school enrollment and planning for specialization.

Incentive programs for working in peripheral areas have shown limited success in attracting doctors, despite offering higher average salaries for certain career stages compared to central Israel. However, these areas face heavier on-call burdens due to smaller staff sizes. The report also notes that new salary agreements, including those related to the Iron Swords War and other professional groups, are not yet factored into the current data.