Israel's medical industry still falls below the average of OECD countries in several areas despite an increase in the number of doctors, nurses, and medical health professionals, according to a report published by the Health Ministry on Thursday.
The report was titled the 2023 health professions workforce report and found that Israel, on a per capita level, compares poorly to other developed OECD countries.
The number of doctors being employed in Israel reached 3.5 per 1,000 residents in 2022, up from 3.2 in 2018. However, the OECD average is 3.7 per 1,000 residents.
Similarly, the number of medical students graduating medical school in Israel reached 7.24 per 100,000 people, but this is significantly lower than the OECD average of 14.3.
According to the Health Ministry's strategic plan, the number of medical students will be increased annually in the hope that by the end of the decade, 2,000 medical students will begin their studies in Israel each year.
How many licenses were issued in 2023?
2,495 new medical licenses were issued in 2023, which is a significant increase compared to previous years.
Approximately one-third of the licenses were granted to graduates of Israeli medical schools, while approximately half were granted to those who graduated from medical school abroad.
Notably, in 2019, a reform was passed that excluded students from medical schools abroad that did not meet the required standards from being recognized as eligible for a medical license.
Therefore, starting next year, students from these schools will not be able to receive a license to practice medicine in Israel.
How many doctors are there in Israel?
The report found that there were 46,981 registered doctors in Israel by the end of 2023, with 35,144 of these under the age of 67.
This meant that the rate of doctors under the age of 67 rose to 3.57 per 1,000 residents, up from 3.2 in 2017.
Further, a quarter of doctors were aged 67 and above, but the percentage of doctors aged 55 and above dropped from 50% in 2017 to 45% in 2023.
Additionally, 2,035 doctors began specialty training in 2023, twice the number compared to 2010.
There were 9,650 medical residents by the end of 2023, 44% of whom were women.
How many nurses are there in Israel?
The number of nurses on average between 2020-2023 stood at 5.6 per 1,000 residents, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). This is lower than the OECD average of 9.9.
However, the nursing industry is growing, and by the end of 2023, the rate of nurses rose to 6.8 per 1,000 residents, up from 6.6 in 2022.
The nursing division of the Health Ministry defined a five-year plan that included increasing this rate to 7, increasing the number of nurses who graduate from advanced courses, and developing clinical expertise while increasing the number of nursing graduates.
The mental health sector
The number of new psychologists in Israel continued to rise, with 710 new licenses issued in 2023 compared to 624 new licenses issued in 2022.
Most of these were trained in Israel.
The number of psychologists employed in the health system was 1.5 per 1,000 residents on average between 2021-2023, according to CBS.
Budgets allocated to mental health increased, totaling about 1.4 billion shekels over two years.
As part of this initiative, health funds would be allocated to double the number of mental health treatments, adding mental health roles in hospitals.
Additionally, the Health Ministry, Finance Ministry, and Histadrut labor federation launched a grants program for psychologists working in the public health system. Psychologists who commit to staying in the public health system would also be eligible for a grant, and another grant is available in order to encourage psychologists who expand their workload in the public health sector.
Further, a recruitment grant was agreed upon for psychologists who joined the public health system for the first time.
Dentistry, pharmacies, and paramedical professions
In 2022, the number of employed dentists stood at 0.84 per 1,000 residents, according to a CBS survey for the 2021-2023 period. Unlike the previously mentioned rates, this is higher than the OECD average, which stands at 0.71 per 1,000.
Additionally, the number of new dental licenses is rising, with 575 new dental licenses being issued in 2023.
Out of these new licenses, 19% were for graduates of Israeli dental schools, and 47% were for Israelis who graduated abroad.
The rate of pharmacists employed was recorded at 0.8 per 1,000 residents, lower than the OECD average of 0.91.
Further, the graduation rate from pharmacy schools in Israel stood at 1.4 per 100,000 residents, lower than the OECD average of 4.4.
There was a reduction in the issuance of licenses for physical therapists. By the end of 2023, Israel had 7,396 physical therapists, or a rate of 0.75 per 1,000 residents.
The number of new speech therapy licenses increased to 433 in 2023 as compared to 372 in 2022.
The rate of occupational therapists also increased, with 628 new licenses being issued in 2023. By the end of 2023, there were 7,864 occupational therapists, or a rate of 0.8 per 1,000 residents, signifying over a two-times increase as compared to 2010.
Comments from health officials
Health Minister Uriel Busso commented that the ministry's efforts to strengthen the education and training of health professionals include "opening additional medical faculties and investing resources in advanced training and specialty programs, alongside improving employment conditions in the public system."
"The Health Ministry is committed to continuing and investing in human capital, with a deep understanding – only by nurturing and strengthening medical teams can we ensure a strong, innovative, and flexible health system that will continue to provide high-quality, accessible, and available service to all residents of israel, both in routine and emergency situations," Busso added.
The Director-General of the Health Ministry, Moshe Bar Siman Tov, added that "the health ministry is also taking steps to increase the number of specialist doctors in all fields and in different geographic regions, while supporting the funding of community and health fund specialty programs."