German c'ttee nixes private medicine in public hospitals

Yael German
Yael German

The committee recommends paying senior physicians up to NIS 100,000 a month.

After over a year of deliberations, the Knesset Committee on private health care reform today voted by a slight majority against the introduction of private medical services in public hospitals. The decision followed over a year of deliberations and intense pressure exerted by Minister of Health and Committee chairman Yael German, who issued a public declaration before the Committee reached its final conclusions.

Supporters of private medicine included German herself; Pnina Koren, the former head of her office in the Herzliya Municipality; National Economic Council chairman Prof. Eugene Kandel; health economist Prof. Jacob (Kobi) Glazer; Ministry of Health director general Prof. Arnon Afek; and Israel Medical Association Secretary General Leah Wapner. Opponents included former Ministry of Health deputy director general Prof. Gabi Bin-Nun, Prof. Leah Achdut from the Ruppin Academy, Ministry of Finance deputy budgets director Moshe Bar Siman Tov, and Adv. Adi Niv-Yaguda, a specialist in medical law.

Dozens of activists from the Social Justice Forum demonstrated near the Committee's crucial meeting today. They demanded that the entry of private medicine into the public hospitals be prevented and the "public" strengthening of standards and budgets in the public health system. Slogans used at the demonstration included "The rich can choose, the poor have to wait." The demonstrators did not stop at megaphones and signs; they sent German a text message calling on her to keep the promise in her party's platform, which advocated total separation between public and private medicine.

The decision to reject the private medicine model, which would have allowed the choosing of a specialist physician in public hospitals, including a shorter waiting period through medical insurance or direct payment, also settled to a large extent the alternative source of financing in favor of the hospitals. Among other things, the Committee recommended adding NIS 1 billion to the health budget. The Committee abandoned its plan to require insurance to set aside 15%. It is believed that the government will support this proposal, among other things because the Ministry of Finance is aware that this is the price for its opposition to private medicine.

Such a budget proposal means the adoption of the full timer model, in which a list of senior physicians will be employed at hospitals under a special employment contract awarding them a high salary (approximately NIS 60,000-100,000 monthly) in exchange for giving up their private practice in whole or in part. Overtime will take place through the public health system. According to the recommendations, the public will be allowed to choose one of the physicians in this model as surgeons without any private insurance, supplementary insurance, or other means.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 25, 2014

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2014

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