Israeli Nurses Declare Labor Dispute Over Staffing Shortages and Hospital Strain

The Israeli Nurses Union has officially declared a labor dispute, warning of a potential collapse in the healthcare system due to a shortage of approximately 1,200 nursing positions. The union cites excessive workloads in hospitals, outdated staffing standards, and ongoing conflicts over student health services and surgical room staffing as critical issues. The union's spokesperson emphasized that the current staffing formulas, largely unchanged since the 1970s and 1990s, fail to reflect the realities of 2026, including increased patient complexity, shorter hospital stays, and higher patient turnover.

Hospitals often must fill staffing gaps with temporary workers or internal budgets, while permanent staff face heavy shifts and difficulty filling vacancies. The union demands an emergency meeting with the Ministries of Health and Finance to negotiate a new agreement that includes permanent staffing increases, aiming to enable nurses to provide adequate care without excessive overtime. Additionally, the dispute covers concerns about the privatization of student health services, which the union insists should remain under state responsibility.

The union also accuses Sheba Medical Center of violating protocols by assigning technical staff to surgical roles traditionally performed by nurses, posing patient safety risks. The union warns that if this practice continues, it may trigger further organizational actions. The nurses' union calls for a comprehensive revision of staffing models to account for actual patient loads, case complexity, department type, admissions and discharges, and nursing tasks per shift, to ensure a safe and supportive work environment for nurses and proper care for Israeli citizens.