Medical residents today agreed to go back to work and resume negotiations with the Ministry of Finance, at the request of the Supreme Court. 350 medical residents had been absent from their posts over the preceding ten days.
In an initial vote, the striking residents agreed only to resume the negotiations. However, they agreed to return to work at the urging of specialists of their peers.
At 10 am today, the residents are due to submit their positive response to the Supreme Court, which will therefore not hear the state's petition to declare the residents in contempt of court, a charge that carries a penalty of up to years in jail.
Some wards at hospitals where the residents were not coming to work, including Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov Hospital) in Tel Aviv and Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, were feeling the pressure of their absence, but urgent and life-saving treatments were unaffected.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 20, 2011
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