'Israel unequipped for influx of doctors in 2024': committee chair

The Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Committee, chaired by MK Oded Forer from the Yisrael Beytenu party, met to discuss the issue of removing barriers to the employment of new immigrant doctors and nurses on Wednesday.

According to the data of the Immigration and Absorption Ministry, during the year 2023, 494 doctors immigrated to the Israel. The number of brothers and sisters who immigrated to Israel in the past year is significantly lower and stands at 83, of which 44% came from Russia. 

Additionally, the Health Ministry reports that over the past five years, 1,753 immigrant doctors have been absorbed into the health system. Of these - 926 were licensed (52.8%), 427 were approved for a licensing exam or clinical experience (24.4%), 164 were in an internship (9.4%), 169 were in the registration process (9.6%), 46 submitted an application (2.6%), and 21 failed the exam, or their request was rejected (1.2%).

The Immigration and Absorption Ministry assisted 928 doctors in promoting employment for the purpose of entering the health system in Israel (clinical experience/adjustment period/internship/absorption experience). The average age of doctors who immigrate to Israel is 41.4 years, and the median age is 37 years.

Growing too fast

Chairman of the committee, MK Oded Forer, said, "The number of immigrants in medical professions who come to Israel in the coming years will increase."

The Finance Ministry, through the Director of Medicine at the Health Ministry, allocates 70 positions for the specialization of immigrant doctors on a waiting-list basis, while approval and monitoring of a specific position for a medical institution is done jointly by the Employment Division at the Immigration and Absorption Ministry, and the Director of Medicine at the Health Ministry.

MK Forer expressed his concern for the lack of positions and multiple barriers to employment for future doctors.

"As of 2020, not a single position was added for the specialization of immigrant doctors. Even though doctors continued to immigrate to Israel, the number of slots remained at 70. Therefore, the waiting time for acceptance for specialization is 20 months." He said.

Frequent meetings will relieve pressure

He continued by proposing more frequent meetings to speed up the approval process.

"The committees for the approval of a specialist degree of the Scientific Council meet on average every 6-8 weeks. The Exemption Committee only meets once a month. These committees should convene more frequently in light of the expected increase in the number of medical immigrants to Israel."

The project started with 50 positions, and in 2020, another 20 were allocated. In the last five years, 149 up-and-coming doctors were accepted to participate in the project. Each month, between one and three positions become available on average, to which doctors are accepted from the waiting list.