After the OECD published the health data of the 38 member countries of the organization, the Director of Strategic and Economic Planning at the Ministry of Health published today (Monday) the report of the health system in Israel in the light of the OECD.
The report presents more than 50 selected indicators, which make it possible to assess the state of health in Israel from various aspects in relation to the other member states of the organization. The report includes the latest data from 2019 and also presents data from 2010, reflecting long-term change in Israel and The countries of the organization in each and every index.
It should be noted that in the last two years, since the outbreak of the corona plague, the global health sector has undergone end-to-end changes, which are expected to affect the various indices in the coming years.
These changes are not reflected in the current publication, which presents the most recent data published by the OECD before the outbreak of the epidemic.
Life expectancy of Israelis - higher than average, Photo: Ancho Gush, Ginny
Life expectancy in Israel is higher than average
Life expectancy in Israel is higher than the average in OECD countries.
The average life expectancy of an Israeli man has risen in recent years and is two years higher than the average among men in OECD countries - 81 compared to an average of 78.3.
Among women, life expectancy is higher at 84.8 compared to 83.6.
The general life expectancy of the population is 82.9 years and is one of the highest in the OECD.
The infant mortality rate in Israel is lower than the average in the member states of the organization and in 2019 was 3.1 deaths per thousand births, compared with an average of 4.2 among OECD countries.
Drink less, more fertile, identical in obesity
The rate of alcohol consumption in Israel is significantly lower than the average of the organization's countries and stands at 3.1 liters per year, compared with an average of 8.8 liters in the other countries of the organization, and is one of the lowest among the organization's countries.
The rate of obesity in the population in Israel was 17.7%, similar to the average in the organization's countries (17.5%).
At the same time, the fertility rate in Israel is the highest in the OECD and stands at 3 births per woman compared to 2.1 in second place (Mexico) and 1.6 on average in the OECD.
Israelis drink less than average in OECD countries, Photo: Getty Images / iStockphoto
Fewer doctors and nurses, fewer hospital beds
Israel ranks third in the OECD in the percentage of holders of voluntary health insurance with a holding rate of 84.1%.
The rate of expenditure on health from GDP in Israel stands at a stable rate of 7.5% and is lower than most OECD countries (27th out of 37 in the ranking of countries) and above the average in the countries of the organization which stands at 8.9%.
The rate of public expenditure out of total health expenditure is among the lowest in the OECD and stands at 65% compared to 74% on average in the OECD (31st place out of 38 in the ranking of countries).
The rate of active physicians per thousand people is about 9% lower than the average in OECD countries and stands at about 3.3 doctors per thousand people.
Meanwhile, the rate of nurses per thousand people is one of the lowest in the OECD and stands at about 5 nurses per thousand people.
The rate of beds for general hospitalization in Israel is relatively low compared to other countries that are members of the organization (fourth from the bottom of the list) and stands at about 2.2 beds per thousand people, compared with an average of 3.5 in OECD member countries.
It should be noted that the definitions were changed several years ago and now mental health beds are included in the definition of general beds.
This change also affects the data regarding the average stay and occupancy rates.
Bed occupancy in Israel is 91% and is among the highest in the OECD.
Corona ward at Sheba Hospital. Too few hospital beds, Photo: Yossi Zeliger
Too few MRI devices
The rate of MRI devices per million inhabitants in Israel is 5.1.
Despite the significant increase in recent years in the number of instruments, Israel is in a low position compared to the OECD average of 17. Only in Mexico and Colombia is a rate lower than in Israel.
However, due to the high utilization of the devices, the gap in the number of tests per capita between Israel and the OECD (of about 40%) is smaller than the gap in the number of devices (of about 70%).
In Israel, 47.5 MRI scans are performed per thousand inhabitants, compared with 80 in the OECD.
The number of MRI examinations in Israel in relation to the population increased in 2019. In contrast, in CT examinations Israel is similar to the OECD average, 159 examinations per 1,000 people compared with 155 in the OECD.
Less suicides, same amount of smokers
The suicide rate in Israel per 100,000 inhabitants increased in 2019 and stands at 6. However, this rate is significantly lower than the average of the organization's countries which stands at 11.6 and is one of the lowest among the organization's countries.
The rate of smokers in Israel in 2019 was 16.4% of the population aged 15 and over, similar to the average rate of OECD countries (16.3%).
The director general of the ministry, Prof. Nachman Ash: "OECD data faithfully reflect the state of the health system in Israel, which shows excellent results, but with relatively low resources.
In the last two years, more than ever, we have seen how health care workers give of themselves and lead the health care system to excellence, and for that we thank them.
"Health systems around the world are now facing a shake-up and we anticipate that OECD data will provide us with some very interesting findings in the coming years."
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