Earlier this month, hundreds of healthcare professionals, local government officials, civil society organizations, and government representatives came together in Haifa to discuss health disparities in Israel’s Arab sector and how working together in health care can build solidarity across Israel’s Jewish and Arab populations.
“Health in Arab society is not discussed enough,” Hassan Tawafra, head of the Economic Development Authority for Arab Society, told the crowd at the ‘Choosing Health, Building Partnerships’ conference. “There are pathways. Change will come when Arab society demands it. Health issues cannot be solved alone. Cooperation between all parties will bring the solution. We need to think about how to incentivize the change.”
He noted that 40% of health care workers in Israel are Arabs, yet the Arab community is “not sufficiently represented in decision-making positions.”
Mohammad Abed al-Rahman, director of the northern district for Meuhedet, one of the major health management organizations, said that the health funds are not doing enough to integrate Arab professionals into the system.
One city where this disparity is clear is Kafr Qara, an Arab city with a population of about 20,000. According to Kafr Qara mayor Firas Badahi, who addressed the conference, 540 of those residents are doctors, or nearly 3% of the population—the highest rate in Israel.
“The government must view the Arab society as a partner in the process,” Badah said. “There needs to be strong political pressure to allocate resources and budgets. We, as leaders, must unite to support programs, raise resources, and build infrastructure.”
Health Minister Uriel Buso said at the conference that health disparities are an ongoing challenge that the healthcare system cannot ignore. “Statements are not enough; we also need budgets and daily work on the ground,” he said. “The challenge is moral and social and requires a resolute response. The vision is to create a cultural shift, to make health accessible to all. It is not a privilege but a right to live with dignity.”
The conference highlighted Israel’s ongoing plan for improving health care in the Arab sector. The program has been integrated into the five-year development plan for Arab society launched in 2021, which aims to encourage socioeconomic development.
As part of the health plan, 22 health units were established in various Arab local authorities, and additional pieces of health-promoting infrastructure were established in 19 Druze authorities and in 10 Arab authorities.
The program, which also includes promoting health care access among the Druze, Circassians, Bedouins, and Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, was allocated a budget of 730 million shekels (about $200 million), but was cut by 15% as part of the national budget reduction.
Moshe Bar Siman-Tov, director general of the Ministry of Health, described the plan as one aimed at addressing “the roots of the system, the decision making mechanisms” in order to improve care.
The final part of the conference dealt with Arab-Jewish partnership in the healthcare system, especially in the wake of the October 7 attacks and the ongoing war. Naim Abu-Freha, chair of the Arab Physicians Association in the Negev, noted that many of the doctors on call on the day of the attacks were Arab, since the attacks took place on a Jewish holiday.
Speakers highlighted the importance of building solidarity between Jews and Arabs working in the health care system. Nachman Ash, board chair for the National Institute for Health Policy Research, described being impressed by the resilience of the health care system and its ability to withstand the crisis. He emphasized the role of leadership in building partnership, “from the minister to the clinic director,” in order to address the crisis of trust.
Ash added that the ability to engage in dialogue, to allow expression of distress and pain, and to provide prompt and optimal care in specific crises can reduce the intensity of the overall crisis.
This article was translated from Hebrew by Marina Levy.
