Israel’s medical system has been stretched to the limit over the past year, with doctors dealing with widespread injuries from war and terrorism, rehabilitating freed hostages, and helping address a national mental health crisis. Yesterday, after nine months of intensive negotiations, Israel’s doctors union reached a collective agreement to improve pay and working conditions and provide better health care. The agreement was signed between the Israeli Medical Association, Clalit, the largest of Israel’s state-mandated health management organizations, and the Ministries of Finance and Health.
“This agreement is good news first of all for the health care system and for the doctors of Israel,” Zion Hagi, chair of the Israel Medical Association, said. “This agreement will streamline and improve the services and availability of doctors in the mental health care system, strengthen the departments of rehabilitation, departments for burns, strokes, as well as pediatric hemato-oncology. Centers for urgent medical care in Israel will be reinforced with senior medical teams 24/7. This agreement improves medical services for the country’s citizens and improves the wages of doctors.”
According to the agreement, which is set to go into effect on January 1, 2025, all doctors will receive a pay increase spread out over three increments. Their pay will increase by 9.5%, 7.5% of which will be in the base pay, from which overtime and other bonuses are calculated, and 2% will be in a separate line.
The agreement also includes economic incentives for doctors working in hospitals in order to improve the care given to the public and increase the number of doctors available, as well as additional pay of 6,000 shekels ($1,616) monthly for doctors specializing in a field designated as a “national mission” in light of the ongoing war. Doctors working in Israel’s southernmost hospital, Yoseftal, will also receive additional pay as part of an attempt to provide better care for residents of Eilat and the surroundings.
Doctors working overnight shifts in emergency departments will also receive extra pay. Doctors working in oncology at hospitals with emergency oncology departments will also be compensated.
Starting on January 1, hospitals will also be able to compensate specialists who work into the afternoon, allowing for greater flexibility in working hours. A pilot program will also allow work from home in the fields of radiology, pathology, nuclear medicine, and family medicine.
Hospitals will also provide buses for attendant doctors that will bring the doctors to the hospital at the start of the shift and return them home afterward.
Under the new agreement, psychiatry interns will be allowed to perform shortened shifts at all hospitals and clinics in order to decrease waiting time for psychiatric appointments. The number of service managers in mental health care hospitals will be increased.
A new role called “specialty coordinator” will be designated. Managers can assign young specialist doctors to that role in order to reward excellence and encourage responsibility within the health care system.
This article was translated and edited for context by Leah Schwartz.
