Health02:51 · Aug 13

Israeli Healthcare Faces Crisis as Government Diverts Funds Amid Doctor Exodus

YnetCenter

Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba

Key points

01Israeli healthcare loses doctors to Western countries due to poor investment and working conditions.
02Government diverted about 600 million shekels from health budget for political purposes despite system strain.
03Israel invests 7.6% of GDP in healthcare, below OECD average, causing staff shortages and long waits.
04Requests for modest funding to improve intern safety were denied while funds were redirected politically.
05Hospitals face deficits and damage, with manipulated waiting time statistics hiding true delays.
06Medical leaders urge urgent funding, staffing increases, and Supreme Court intervention to protect healthcare.

In this story

People

Ze'ev Feldman

OrganizationsIsraeli Tax Authority, Ministry of Health, Supreme Court, State Doctors Organization

PlacesIsrael, United States, Nahariya, Soroka Medical Center

The story · English

Israel's healthcare system is experiencing a severe crisis marked by a significant outflow of doctors to Western countries, particularly the United States, driven by better investment and working conditions abroad. A recent report by the Israeli Tax Authority highlighted that the healthcare sector saw a 100% increase in professionals leaving the country over the past two years, alongside the high-tech industry. This trend is exacerbated by unbearable workloads on medical staff and a public discourse that unfairly targets doctors' salaries instead of addressing the root problem: chronic underfunding and over-demand.

Last week, it was revealed that the Israeli government is not only failing to invest adequately in healthcare but is also diverting hundreds of millions of shekels from the health budget for political purposes under the guise of "civil emergency expenses." Approximately 600 million shekels were cut from the Ministry of Health's budget, despite the system operating at full capacity with no financial reserves. The Supreme Court intervened to halt some of these diversions but allowed others to proceed, worsening the already strained system.

International data shows Israel invests about 7.6% of its GDP in healthcare, below the OECD average of 9.3%, with fewer nurses and hospital beds per capita. Despite these limitations, the system manages to deliver reasonable outcomes, but this is due to dangerous overexertion rather than efficiency. Budget priorities reveal stark contradictions: a modest request of 25 million shekels to fund transportation for medical interns after shifts, aimed at preventing accidents, was rejected due to lack of funds, while hundreds of millions were redirected for coalition needs.

Hospitals like Nahariya face staffing delays due to a 50 million shekel deficit, and Soroka Medical Center remains impaired after an Iranian missile strike. Meanwhile, official waiting times for surgeries are manipulated by excluding the initial wait to see specialists, creating a misleading impression of control. Dr. Ze'ev Feldman, chairman of the State Doctors Organization, emphasized that every shekel cut from healthcare translates directly into service deterioration, increased burnout, and risks to human lives.

The political establishment remains silent, with no party prioritizing public health or proposing a long-term vision. Healthcare budgets are treated as convenient sources for political bargaining rather than essential public investment. Dr. Feldman called for urgent action to reduce waiting times, strengthen peripheral healthcare, increase staffing, and protect medical teams. He urged the Supreme Court to intervene again to safeguard the healthcare budget, warning that the consequences are immediate and life-threatening.

Read the original at Ynet