Doctors' Union Head Warns of National Emergency Amidst Rising Emigration

A new study from Tel Aviv University reveals a significant surge in Israeli doctors leaving the country for extended periods, prompting the head of the national doctors' union to declare a "national emergency." The research indicates that between 2023 and 2025, 1,369 doctors left Israel for at least a year, a 94% increase compared to the decade prior. Alarmingly, approximately 20% of these departing doctors were aged 45 and older, suggesting that experienced specialists, not just junior physicians, are seeking opportunities abroad.

Dr. Zeev Feldman, chairman of the National Association of State Physicians, has appealed to political party leaders, urging them to prioritize a national plan to retain doctors. He warned that without immediate action, the public healthcare system faces an unprecedented crisis that will affect all citizens. Feldman attributes the exodus to the "budgetary starvation policy" and the resulting strain on the public health system, including burnout, aging medical staff, hospital overcrowding, and disparities in healthcare access.

The study, which analyzed official databases, found that while some doctors leave for specialized training and may return, the net loss of physicians is substantial. The union estimates Israel loses an average of 255 doctors annually after accounting for those who return, a fivefold increase from the previous decade. The emigration impacts critical fields, with significant percentages of internists, surgeons, ophthalmologists, dermatologists, ENT specialists, and pediatricians departing.

Compared to OECD averages, Israel already has fewer doctors and nurses per capita, and fewer hospital beds. National health expenditure as a percentage of GDP is also lower than the OECD average. The doctors' union is calling for improved working conditions, subsidized childcare at hospitals, expanded parental leave, better travel arrangements for on-call duties, recognition of remote work, and the establishment of excellence centers in peripheral areas.

Feldman stressed that this is not an inevitable fate but a direct consequence of policy decisions. He cautioned that if a comprehensive policy change does not occur immediately, the collapse of public healthcare will become a reality. The core challenge, he stated, is to retain already trained physicians before temporary departures become permanent.