Israel Reports Shorter MRI and Elective Surgery Wait Times Compared to OECD Countries

The Israeli Ministry of Health released its 2025 report on ambulatory MRI wait times and the 2024 elective surgery wait times, highlighting improvements and regional disparities. In 2025, over 570,000 MRI scans were performed nationwide, marking an 8.8% increase from 2024, with an average wait time of one to two months for Israeli civilians. MRI usage rises with age, peaking among those aged 45-64, who accounted for over 200,000 scans. Jerusalem leads in MRI utilization at 94%, followed by southern Israel at 75%, Tel Aviv at 74%, Haifa and northern regions at 64-67%, and central Israel at 50%. Notably, the West Bank lacks MRI machines. Among health funds, Clalit conducted nearly 300,000 MRIs, Maccabi 177,000, Meuhedet 72,000, and Leumit 38,000. Women underwent more MRIs than men, with 63 versus 52 scans per 1,000 insured respectively.

Wait times vary by health fund: Clalit patients wait about two months, Maccabi nearly two months, Leumit one and a half months, and Meuhedet around one month and five days. Clalit also leads in fastest MRI result interpretations. Regionally, northern Israel has shorter waits, while Jerusalem, the South, and central areas experience longer delays. Despite having fewer MRI machines per million people compared to countries like Canada, Sweden, and Norway, Israel achieves shorter median wait times due to high efficiency and utilization. Since 2008, MRI machines increased by 600%, from 10 to over 70, and MRI scans per 1,000 residents quadrupled, improving accessibility.

Regarding elective surgeries, cataract removal is the most common procedure with 32,000 surgeries in 2024, followed by hernia repairs (11,000), tonsillectomies (8,600), gallbladder removals (7,700), breast reconstruction (6,100), spinal surgeries (4,700), hysterectomies and prostatectomies (3,600 each), and colorectal surgeries (2,900). The longest average wait times over three months are for nasal septum correction and tonsillectomies. About 27% of cataract patients wait more than three months, with northern Israel experiencing the longest waits, nearly five months.

Among hospitals, Shaare Zedek in Jerusalem performs the most cataract surgeries (3,000 annually) but has over two months average wait times, with 40% waiting more than three months. Laniado Hospital in Netanya has the shortest cataract wait at 22 days. Other major centers like Sheba, Ichilov, Soroka, Hadassah, Rambam, and Beilinson show varied wait times and percentages of patients waiting over three months. For breast reconstruction, Sheba leads with over 1,000 surgeries and nearly a month wait, with 19% waiting over three months. Tonsillectomy waits are longest at Schneider Children’s Hospital and Shaare Zedek, with half of patients waiting beyond three months.

Comparing internationally, Israel’s median wait for cataract surgery is 50 days versus 68 days in developed countries; prostatectomy waits are 50 days versus 61; and hip replacement waits are 57 days compared to 110 days in OECD nations. The proportion of patients waiting over 90 days is consistently lower in Israel (23.6%-37.2%) than the OECD average (36%-63%).

Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman-Tov praised the data, emphasizing transparency and competition among health funds to reduce wait times. Prof. Osnat Luxenburg, head of medical technologies and research, highlighted Israel’s efficient MRI usage despite fewer machines, noting shorter wait times than countries with more equipment.