Doctors in Soroka demand a commission of inquiry: "We have come to treat, not to abandon our lives"

The fourth suicide within a year and a half of a doctor at the hospital raised an outcry among medical staff. Dozens of interns protested in the wake of the stress and strain of human life and urged the Ministry of Health to take action to prevent the next case. "We found ourselves in a war field"

Doctors in Soroka demand a commission of inquiry: "We have come to treat, not to abandon our lives"

Following the suicide of a doctor at the Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva, dozens of interns gathered today (Sunday), demanding management and the Ministry of Health work to prevent the next case. "There can't be a fifth time," one doctor exclaimed. "We have come to work, we have come to care, we are all with dreams to save lives. We are not supposed to give up our lives and find ourselves in a battlefield."

Four suicides occurred in the hospital in about a year and a half, and doctors are now calling for the establishment of an investigative committee. "To have a real, independent, external investigative commission done by the Ministry of Health and the hospital administration," one physician demanded. Chairman of the Prescription Internship Organization, Dr. Ray Beaton, emphasized that the deaths of the four are not accidental. She said, "To say that there is no connection between the cases is ridiculous. When there are four doctors who commit suicide one after the other, it has to be demanding.

At the same time, about 200 people attend the funeral home of the doctor who specializes in the new cemetery in Hadera.

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Call for the establishment of an inquiry committee. Specialists in Soroka, today (Photo: Yanir Yagna)

Doctors and Suroka Hospital Specialists Congregate in Hospital in Protest of Fourth Doctor's Suicide, Beer Sheva, January 26, 2020 (Photo: Yanir Yagna)

Dr. Beaton warned that "We have been warning about the catastrophe in Soroka quite some time. The inscription was on the wall. Get a glimpse here of the collapsing health system. There's the extremity of what's going on here. In Soroka sorting during the night we can see three interns who are supposed to cater for such a large population. Hence the big loads. "

One of the doctors described the difficulties experienced by the medical staff following the workload. "There are specialists here and doctors who work 26 continuously, from Rehovot to Eilat. There is one hospital that handles everything," he said. "The burden is huge, the pressure is great. Those who come to study medicine come to help the patient, but here in Soroka we do not have the conditions for it. The burden is decisive and increases in human life and also harms the lives of doctors and specialists."

"I want to take this opportunity and tell everyone - take care," another doctor implored his colleagues to be attentive to their personal needs, given the hospital's working conditions. "If you need a minute's break, go, the patient won't die at that minute. Coffee break is a legitimate, basic thing. Keep your family and friends together, have someone to talk to when you see the sights so hard every day, for an hour. Yourselves and each other because there is no one to do it for us. "

The suicides that shake Soroka: "It's a matter of time until the fifth case"

"Coffee break is a legitimate thing." Doctors at Soroka Hospital, today (Photo: Yanir Yagna)

Doctors and Suroka Hospital Specialists Congregate in Hospital in Protest of Fourth Doctor's Suicide, Beer Sheva, January 26, 2020 (Photo: Yanir Yagna)

Medical students also came to the scene to support the medical staff. "We are the future generation of medical students. It is important for us to express solidarity with the family and the doctors who are working poorly," described one of the protesters. "I want to call on the management to investigate the case in depth. The work is very difficult, the interns are working full days to hold this hospital. The load here is very, very high. .

"The state should do a home inspection"

Bridge chairman MK Orly Levi-Abaxis joined the calls for the establishment of an investigative committee on physician suicides and sent a letter to Health Minister Jacob Litzman. "The health system is collapsing, the emergency rooms are collapsing, the corridors are busy, the hours are impossible, there are no beds and now the doctors themselves are in danger. How did we get to the point where the most important people in the health system are reaching an abyss?" "No one can cope with such harsh working conditions and pressure. The State of Israel needs to make a very significant check on the situation it brought the doctors to."

(First update: 16:39)

"Employee days to keep the place." Soroka Hospital (Photo: Reuven Castro)

Soroka Medical Center, Beer Sheva (Photo: Reuven Castro)