| The Health Care System in Israel |
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| Israel's high standard of health services, top-quality medical technology and research, modern hospital facilities and an impressive ratio of physicians to population all contribute to the country's high standard of health today. |
| The Ministry of Health is responsible for the development of health policy, operation of the nation's public health services and management of the governmental health care budget. The government also owns and operates many of the nation's larger hospitals. It licenses the medical and paramedical professions and initiates and oversees implementation of all health-related legislation passed by the Knesset. Medical services are provided through four health insurance companies, known as sick funds: The largest organization and the first health insurance institution, was founded in 1911 by a small group of agricultural workers and taken over by the General Federation of Labor in 1920. |
| Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the issue of health care has never left the public agenda. The public debate on reform of the health system has focused on enactment of a national health insurance law. Reform was spurred by recommendations of the Netanyahu Commission (1990). Its recommendations served as a catalyst for the passage of the National Health Insurance Law, which came into effect on January 1, 1995. |
| The present review traces some of the milestones in health care services, in order to better understand the roots of both the achievements and the problems of the system, and to define future prospects. |
| The Health Care System |
| Israel has today a population of nearly six million people - 81% Jews and 19% non-Jews, mostly Arabs. The majority of the population is urban and Israel is rated among middle-income countries. Some 8.7% of Israel's GNP is allocated to health (1995), similar to levels among Western European countries. Average life expectancy is relatively high: 79.5 years for females and 75.5 years for males. |
| Forty-seven general hospitals presently operate in the country, with a total of ±13,000 general beds. Forty-five percent of the beds in general hospitals are in hospitals operated by the government and municipal government; 30% are in hospitals run by the largest health fund; 6% in two hospitals belonging to the Hadassah Medical Organization; and the rest (19%) are in hospitals run by non-profit organizations and religious organizations (such as the Christian churches in Nazareth). The health system also includes some 14,000 beds for chronic care patients (including geriatrics) and some 7000 for psychiatric patients. The ratio of all hospital beds to population is 5.95 per thousand. |
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