Will the outline of shortening the experts' shifts begin on April 1, as signed by Economy Minister Orna Barbibai?
A senior health ministry official said that "in light of the finance ministry's opposition, there is no way out," Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz added: "The budget department is trying to torpedo the shortening of interns' shifts."
The Ministry of Finance claims: "The outline will be an irresponsible step for the health system."
As stated, the Ministry of Finance claims that the outline of shortening the shifts of interns is not applicable and may harm other budgets, which are intended for hospital beds and the establishment of hospitals.
It also has many unanswered issues, chief among them - the interns' salaries that are expected to be affected, the format of work on weekends and the fact that shortening shifts may cause the internships to be extended.
The prescription interns' organization is calling on the prime minister to intervene in the crisis and threatening: "If there is no shortcut, there will be no interns."
The Ministry of Finance says that the outline for shortening shifts is not applicable and could be harmful.
Curator Avigdor Lieberman, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
As you may recall, in less than a month, the model for shortening interns' shifts, which currently stand at 26 hours, is expected to take effect.
The Ministry of Health appointed a committee headed by Deputy CEO Dr. Sefi Mendelovich, which was supposed to present interim conclusions on how to implement the outline as early as January 31, but the publication of the recommendations was delayed due to disagreement over the budget.
Contrary to the promises made by the Minister of Health to interns, under pressure from protests and the submission of letters of resignation, it is already clear that the outline will not include shortening the shifts of the two hospitals in the center, but only ten hospitals in the periphery in the first phase.
This is due to a shortage of doctors in the health system and the fact that opening standards in the center will make it impossible to staff standards in the periphery and shorten the shifts there.
Interns' protest: Demonstration of support by medical students at the Cinematheque
As mentioned, the shortening is expected to begin in ten hospitals in the periphery, where the shortening will also begin gradually.
First in boarding schools and other professions like oncology until the end of 2022, when pediatrics will only be shortened in a year and a half.
Also, there are professions like women and cardiology where the committee is likely to recommend not shortening the shifts at all, due to a large shortage, especially of doctors.
In addition, the committee will also include in its conclusions the "Malarad" model - changing the work format in the emergency rooms so that it includes the work of emergency medicine specialists and there will be no need for advice from interns from other departments. Better service.Another program that will be presented in the committee's conclusions is the training of physician assistants, who will be able to work in all areas (currently there are physician assistants only in the emergency rooms, MI) and will also reduce a significant portion of the work that physicians do.
Interns' protest in Tel Aviv, archive, photo: Elad Gutman
The committee for the implementation of the outline for shortening the shifts discusses a number of possible models for implementation, and it appears that the chosen model will be to shorten the shift hours to 16 hours (and another two hours of shift transfer).
The final outline will be presented in a few days.
It should be noted that both after the outline is published and after it is approved by the Minister of Economy, there are many issues that are not included in its framework and may cause a protest, both on behalf of the "Registry" interns' organization and on behalf of the Medical Association.
The publication of the outline may lead to petitions to the Labor Court, to labor disputes and even to the mass resignation of interns as has already happened in the past.
Interns' protest, archive, photo: Gideon Markowitz
For example, the issue of wages is not included in the outline and the Treasury opposes that interns work less - but will earn the same wages or that interns in internships where there will be a shortening of shifts will be paid in a similar way to interns in internships where shifts are not shortened.
The outline of work on weekends has also not been finally agreed upon and may seem to hurt interns who will be required to work more weekends than today.
It should be noted that the length of the internship is the responsibility of the Scientific Council of the Medical Association, which will have to decide whether to extend the internship in certain professions.
As mentioned, the Ministry of Health claims that the Ministry of Finance is also creating difficulties for the transfer of the NIS 66 million that was set from the beginning between the ministries for the move.
Minister Horowitz's office notes that the implementation team for the outline of shortening the interns' shifts has already completed its work.
"What stands between us and the implementation of the outline is the refusal of the budget department to approve the use of the promised budget, according to an agreement between the Minister of Economy, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Health," says Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz.
Interns' protest, archive, photo: Yehoshua Yosef
However, the budget department responds that "they are trying to paint the event as if it is only NIS 15-30 million and that the Ministry of Finance is delaying the outline because of little money, but our position is not related to money, the model presented is bad and inapplicable.
They are going to spend a lot of money, but to no real benefit to the public.
An expenditure of NIS 30 million is only needed to catch 200 internship standards in order to shorten shifts to about 600 interns, but in Israel there are a total of about 6,000 interns.
It amounts to huge sums and such a decision would hurt other important issues in the healthcare system like adding hospitals and beds.
We must have a different model, otherwise we will destroy any chance for the health system to develop in the coming years. "
"The Minister of Health, in a courageous statement, admits that the Israeli government is carrying out a fraudulent exercise of the interns' public.
They added: "In the last news, just before the shortening of shifts starts, join them together with the Ministry of Finance, officials who want to thwart the shortening of shifts. We clarified in our talks with representatives of the Ministry of Health and Finance that we can not accept any scenario. "And we have further clarified that any attempt to condition the shortening of shifts on harming interns in such and such ways will hit us hard - we will not allow this to happen! If there is no shortening - there will be no interns. We call on Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to intervene urgently in the crisis." .
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