Israeli Hospitals Face Midwife Shortages Amid Delivery Boom
Hospitals in Israel are reportedly struggling with severe midwife shortages, despite receiving approximately $5,200 per birth, leading to concerns about the quality of care for expectant mothers. Midwives across the country have voiced alarm that staffing levels are insufficient to handle the medical complexity and sheer volume of births, especially as hospitals compete to attract more patients. This pressure to admit more women, even when facilities are at capacity, could compromise professional standards and patient treatment, with some delivery rooms already experiencing negative impacts.
"Am I giving her full care as I should? The answer is no," stated Yuval Yaffe, CEO of the Israeli Midwives Organization. She described situations where midwives are forced to prioritize urgent cases like emergency C-sections or severe bleeding, leaving other women with potentially long-term health implications receiving suboptimal care. The workload often means one midwife is responsible for three or even four mothers simultaneously, a situation described as constant and exhausting.
This strain is exacerbated by the financial incentive for hospitals to maximize births. While facilities invest in renovations and marketing to attract mothers, the number of midwives has not kept pace with the growing number of deliveries, which exceed 180,000 annually in Israel. Studies indicate that a one-to-one midwife-to-mother ratio significantly reduces interventions, shortens labor, and improves satisfaction, a ratio also recommended by the Israeli Ministry of Health, though the gap between ideal and reality is widening.
Recent data for 2025 reveals significant discrepancies between allocated positions and active midwives in several hospitals, with some facing deficits of up to 20%. These gaps are attributed to unfilled positions, midwives on temporary leave, and the use of some midwife positions for non-midwife staff. Even when positions are technically filled, the lack of qualified personnel to handle complex deliveries and emergencies means the quality of care is compromised.
Midwives report sacrificing personal needs like breaks and meals to cope with the overwhelming workload. They warn that this chronic stress leads to burnout, reducing sharpness, sensitivity, and attentiveness, increasing the risk of errors. "You can't provide a safe and personal birth experience" without adequate staffing, Yaffe emphasized, urging a shift in resources from marketing and facility upgrades to investing in essential personnel.
