60 study places will be added in the medical faculties in the current academic school year, the Ministries of Education and Health announced today (Monday).
This, after a dialogue and agreement with the deans of the faculties.
According to a plan formulated by the Council for Higher Education, in the next four years 400 study places will be added in order to overcome the shortage of doctors and reduce the burdens on the health system.
Other ambitions are to enable the reduction of working hours of physicians and medical staff, and to improve service to patients.
The current addition is a first step in the program.
Already in the 2022 budget, funding is expected to be allocated to 260 study places for medical students and 450 study places for nursing students.
The move is expected to more than double the number of places of study today.
As part of the first phase, 10 study places will be added at the Technion, 20 places will be opened at Bar Ilan University and 30 medical students will be able to begin their studies at Ben Gurion University.
According to Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, "the move will ease the burdens in the public health system and will also allow for a shortening of interns' shifts."
He noted that at the same time 450 new study places will be added for brothers and sisters.
"We have brought forward the increase in quotas for medical studies as decided in the MLAG for the coming school year," said Education Minister Yifat Shasha Bitton.
