The Council for Higher Education this week approved the Planning and Budgeting Committee’s recommendation to add about 50 first-year places in physical therapy programs at Tel Aviv University, Ariel University, and the Academic College of Safed. The move is part of earlier expansions, and if all approved quotas are filled, first-year enrollment is expected to rise from about 250 in the 2021 to 2022 academic year to about 390 in 2026 to 2027, an increase of roughly 140 students, or 55%, over five years.
Officials said the goal is to ease a long-running shortage of physical therapists in the health system, driven by population growth, longer life expectancy, and rising demand for rehabilitation and treatment. Health Ministry data presented to the council showed continued growth in applications to study physical therapy, while training capacity remains limited.
Professionals welcomed the decision but warned it will not solve the crisis without new positions and updated pay agreements. Eli Gabay, a physical therapist at Rabin Medical Center and head of the Health Professions Union in the Histadrut, said the increase is welcome given the severe manpower shortage, aging population, and the prolonged war. He added that more rehabilitation staff are needed, especially for new rehabilitation facilities soon to open, and said requests across health professions, including occupational therapy and speech therapy, have risen by more than 30% in recent years. He said clinics are struggling to recruit and retain workers.
Gabay also said the clinical instructors who supervise students deserve a better agreement, but talks with the Finance Ministry have been stuck since May 2025. Without approval, he warned, more training slots cannot be opened. He said an instructor called up for reserve duty who taught only part of a month is currently not paid because the supervision requirement was not completed. He further said government hospitals have not received new posts for more than 30 years, unlike hospitals run by the health funds, creating a gap that pushes more than 30% of health workers to leave the public system for better conditions at Clalit hospitals. Education Minister and Higher Education Council chair Yoav Kisch said Israel needs more high-quality health professionals and that expanding physical therapy studies is part of a national effort to strengthen the health system while preserving academic standards. Planning and Budgeting Committee chair Prof. Ami Moyal said the five-year expansion is meant to address workforce shortages, bolster rehabilitation, and improve public access to treatment in the coming years.
