Health equity report exposes gaps in healthcare between central Israel and the periphery
The district with the highest life expectancy in Israel is Judea and Samaria, followed by the Central district. Meanwhile, the northern and southern districts continue to show the lowest figures.
The Heath Ministry's "Health Equity" report, published Tuesday, exposes deep gaps in healthcare services between central Israel and the periphery.
The report presents data on life expectancy in different regions of the country, mortality rates, and healthcare infrastructure across Israel.
The report shows that the average life expectancy in Israel stood at 83.8 years, but when including casualties from the Israel-Hamas war, the national average drops to 83.3. The report highlights sharp disparities between population groups: Jewish women have the highest life expectancy at 85.8 years, while Arab men have the lowest at just 78.2 years.
A geographical examination of the data reveals a troubling picture: The West Bank area leads in life expectancy with 84.4 years, followed by the central area with 84.2 years.
On the other hand, the southern and northern districts are at the bottom of the list with life expectancies of 81.6 and 81.9 years, respectively, a gap of almost three years between the two ends of the country.
According to the Health Ministry, these disparities are partly explained by the population composition, education levels, access to medical services, and socio-economic status.
The general mortality rate in 2023 was 5.1 per 1,000 people among Arabs and 4.3 among Jews and others. Again, a continuing gap is evident, reaching up to 29 percent between the sectors. According to the report, excluding the casualties of the war, the majority being Jews, the gap stands at 24 percent.
Another worrying statistic is infant mortality: while among Jews, it stands at 1.2 deaths per 1,000 live births, among Arabs, it jumps to 5.2. This rate is significantly higher than the OECD average and rises even more in the periphery.
Critical shortages
One of the central issues pointed out in the report is the shortage of medical personnel in the periphery. While in central Israel, Tel Aviv, and Haifa, the ratio of doctors is higher than the national average — 3.9 doctors per 1,000 people — in the south, Jerusalem, and the north, the number is much lower. A similar disparity is seen in nursing, with the national average standing at 5.4 nurses per 1,000 people, which is significantly lower than the OECD average of 9.4.In the area of hospital infrastructure, Israel is far behind Western countries. The rate of general hospital beds stood at just 1.716 beds per 1,000 people — less than half the OECD average. Again, the southern and northern districts suffer from especially low availability.
For the first time, the report also examines the functioning of healthcare systems during the Israel-Hamas war period. Health funds were reinforced and adapted their operations to address the needs of the evacuated population and the increased demand for mental health services. Special centers were opened, digital services expanded, and mobile clinics reached evacuation sites.
The report also addresses the integration of the Haredi and Arab populations in healthcare professions. While the percentage of doctors from the Haredi sector remains significantly lower than in the general population, particularly in fields like medicine, psychology, and physiotherapy, there has been a significant increase in the number of new licenses granted to Haredi nurses.
"The reduction of health inequality is a national value of the highest order," concluded Health Minister Uriel Busso. "Our responsibility is to ensure that every citizen in Israel receives the proper medical care."
