Changes in the Israeli economic policy have, over the years, progressively damaged the Israeli healthcare system. The medical residents in Israel face a state of crisis. They endure 26 hour shifts or longer, deal with an ever growing number of patients despite a declining number of practicing physicians. Overall, the prestige of young Israeli doctors has been constantly reduced in the public eye, with many Israeli physicians abandoning their country to work abroad and the end result is a rapid decline in the quality of the public healthcare! This process must be stopped!
Welcome to the homepage of MIRSHAM, the Israeli medical residents’ non profit organization. We aim to improve Israel's public healthcare system, with emphasis on maintaining a high quality of care, while advocating the rights of the young physicians during their first years in the medical field. MIRSHAM- Residents for Quality Healthcare in Israel, was founded by a few young interns and residents in 2006, due the growing sense of distress, which young physicians and residents in Israel have been increasingly experiencing over the years. Our goal is to represent the rights and improve the status of young physicians, and by doing so improving and saving the Israeli healthcare system from the massive deterioration it is expected to face in the coming years.
As of today, the number of hospital beds in Israel is non-proportional to the population growth and the rising life expectancy in our country. In fact, the number of hospital beds and the number of physician positions has not grown since 1976, despite past agreements to make the desired changes, changes that by all means are necessary to maintain proper healthcare in Israel. Presently, the number of monthly night shifts and their duration does not comply with the formal work agreements signed between the Finance ministry and the Israeli Medical Association. The Law of Employment and Workday Hours is not being implemented. The remuneration currently paid for young physicians by the government is inappropriate compared to other professions which require similar academic levels. This does not even take into consideration the heavy personal responsibility casted upon the physicians' shoulders. Medical research and training in Israel is in jeopardy. This is caused by the shortage of physicians in the public system and the massive non-proportional workload young residents are faced with, at the expense of proper training. There is a continuous reduction in dedicated resources for medical teaching and training. Now is the time to make a change.
The negotiations over the physicians’ terms of work between the Israeli Medical Association and the government are taking place these days. The public is becoming increasingly aware of the situation thanks to the recent publications in the media. As residents in the frontline we must act urgently! This is the chance to take action. MIRSHAM is working on:
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Promoting the residents' needs and rights in the negotiation.
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Promoting the issue of young physicians and residents within the Israeli Medical Association.
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Enforcing the regulations of the residency period, including quality of teaching, professional training, exams and the resident application process.
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Representing residents in need throughout the departments.
As a whole, medical residents are a vulnerable population, centered on their medical training while under an immense workload placed upon them. For us to rise and put up a decent struggle, there is real a need for support from the public. After all, we are all potential medical patients, and we all want to be treated by only the best trained medical doctors.