2024-01-01 19:33:49
Haaretz newspaper said in a report that while the mental health system in Israel faces the risk of collapse, dozens of psychiatrists are leaving for Britain in search of more stable living conditions.
She added that this displacement comes at a time when the demand for mental health services in Israel is increasing due to the Gaza war, as last week the heads of mental health centers sent a letter to State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman warning that “the mental health system in Israel is approaching complete collapse.”
Haaretz claimed that dozens of psychiatrists took the licensing exam to practice medicine in Britain, but months ago.
The newspaper quoted a prominent official in the mental health system – who spoke with a psychiatrist – as saying, “They will earn more money, but what makes them leave is frustration due to the heavy workload and not feeling that the situation will improve, and in light of the current situation, the workload will increase.”
The source added that the mental health system in Britain is “more organized, there is less crowding, and working hours are more rational.”
Complaints
The newspaper reported that, according to the medical workforce report issued by the Ministry of Health a year ago, the number of psychiatrists per capita in Israel decreased by 19% over the past decade, and figures provided by the National Institute for Health Services and Health Policy Research last week showed that there is only one psychiatrist in Israel. In public service for every 11,705 people.
Shmuel Hirschman, who heads the Forum for Directors of Mental Health Centers, said that the system lacks regarding 400 psychiatrists.
Hirschman warned that within 5 years the number will double, because many workers are now approaching or exceeding retirement age, in addition to the high proportion of those who immigrate in search of stable work.
According to the Haaretz report, the forum sent a letter to the competent authority in which it said, “We address you in despair regarding the difficult situation of the mental health system in Israel.”
The letter pointed to the increasing demand for psychiatrists since the outbreak of the war on Gaza, and stated that “the events of October 7 led to an estimated 300,000 additional patients who need treatment at the hands of trained specialists.”
The forum’s message warned that the mental health consequences of the war are alarming so far.
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