Doctors Fleeing Israel Amid Security Fears and Burnout

A significant number of doctors are emigrating from Israel, particularly in specialties like psychiatry, surgery, oncology, and internal medicine. This trend is fueled by security and political concerns, anxieties about the future, and intense professional pressures leading to burnout. Recent data reveals dozens of doctors have left hospitals, while others have not returned from advanced training abroad. A survey by the Israel Medical Association, presented at a conference on doctor emigration, indicated that 50 doctors left Israeli hospitals between October 2023 and the end of 2024, including 14 from Ichilov and Beilinson hospitals. This follows a Tel Aviv University study showing 1,369 doctors left Israel for at least a year between 2023 and 2025, a 94% increase compared to a decade prior. The departing doctors include a growing proportion of experienced professionals over 45, making their loss particularly impactful.

The affected specialties, beyond psychiatry, include internal medicine, surgery, ENT, gastroenterology, and oncology. Top destinations for emigrating doctors are the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, the UK, and Germany. In psychiatry, the situation is exacerbated by increased demand for mental health services, including from doctors themselves, intensifying workload and prompting some to move to the private sector or abroad. The vice chair of the Israel Medical Association and head of the Psychiatric Union, Marina Koptchik, noted that four doctors left her hospital last year, three specializing in child psychiatry, citing security, future concerns for children, work pressure, and career opportunities as primary drivers, with economics being a secondary factor.

Furthermore, 53 doctors who traveled abroad for advanced specialization have not returned on schedule, according to reports from 11 medical centers. Ze'ev Feldman, head of the "State Doctors" organization, warned that this failure to return harms the healthcare system in the medium and long term, especially as experienced doctors who should be training new generations are leaving. Eido Wolf, representing the "National Academy of Israeli Medical Sciences," stated that six to ten oncologists have left and not returned, despite receiving professional opportunities and offers in Israel, citing personal security, children's education, and future life prospects as reasons.

Zion Hagay, head of the Israel Medical Association, described doctor emigration as a "strategic danger to the State of Israel" and announced plans to establish a forum to study the causes and find solutions. Orly Greenfield, an official at the Israeli Ministry of Health, acknowledged a significant rise in requests for documents needed for overseas specialization but stressed that not all applicants leave. She emphasized the need to maintain contact with doctors abroad and encourage their return. The head of the Union of Hospital Directors pointed out that current employment standards do not meet the healthcare system's needs, citing administrative burdens and the necessity for better conditions for research, teaching, and professional development. Feldman urged the Ministries of Health and Finance, along with universities, to create incentives including academic and research positions, housing, and assistance with children's education and employment for spouses, to encourage the return of these medical professionals.