On the road to revolution?
After a long struggle by the interns, "Israel Today" learned that the committee set up on the subject recommended shortening the shift time by about half. • Meaning: the need for massive budgeting and the addition of standards
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Photography:
Gideon Markovich
A revolution in the specialization of doctors in all hospitals:
Israel Today has learned that the doctors 'shifts that specialize in most medical professions will be shortened from 26 hours to 12-16 hours, according to the committee's emerging recommendations for examining the format of doctors' shifts.
As will be recalled, the committee was established following ongoing public pressure on the subject and a long struggle of the interns.
This is a particularly significant shortening of about half the length of the shift.
Despite this, it seems that the shifts of the surgery and intensive care professions will not be shortened at all.
The emerging recommendations are neither formal nor final.
They are yet to change and should be published only at the end of January 2021.
It also appears that the committee will recommend that the shortening of shifts be done in three different models.
According to one model, the specialist doctor will start the shift at 11pm at night until 11am the next morning.
Another model offers one week a month where there will be two interns who will catch the shifts during the day, 12 hours each.
In addition, a recommendation is being formulated to increase the standards for physician assistants and medical secretaries to 24 hours a day in order to further facilitate the work of the doctors on duty.
The significance of the recommendations, if fully accepted, is a reform in the employment of physicians in all hospitals in Israel, which is expected to have a dramatic impact on the quality and availability of medical care.
According to the committee's estimates, in order to implement the recommendations, it will be necessary to massively budget the hospitals in an amount estimated at hundreds of millions of shekels, in order to dramatically increase medical staff and standards.
According to data from the health system, 7,700 physicians specializing in hospitals and health funds currently work in Israel.
The committee is chaired by two senior doctors in Israel: one, Prof. Yosef Klausner, who founded and managed the surgical division at Ichilov Hospital, and is considered one of the top surgeons in the country.
The other, and Prof. Ran Tor Caspa, founder and dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Bar Ilan University, and head of the Tel Aviv University Research Institute at Beilinson Hospital.
The committee was appointed by Prof. Hagai Zion, chairman of the Medical Association, as part of the Medical Association's preparations for negotiations on the new wage agreement between the state, the health funds and the doctors.