Good doctors are very precious. Allow them to treat private patients too, at the condition that they devote themselves to the public most of the hours a day.

They should be excluded from the medical corps, banned for life!!

It's unrealistic to expect top doctors to work for the low salaries paid by public medicine in Israel. Whatever money these doctors took from tourists (who came here specifically for surgery), it's still a fraction of what those tourists would have paid for comparable care in their home countries. How many patients will die (God forbid) so that we can show that we are still card-carrying members of the Socialist Internationale? Suspending these doctors is cutting off our collective nose to spite our collective face. It is simply absurd!

"Nonetheless," Barbash added, "our medical center, like every hospital, must obey the law, the rules of operation dictated to us and the ethical principles binding everyone in the medicine profession. Hesitating here may lead to damages in other fields and areas and undermine the organizational ethics – a matter with consequences which are as serious. Therefore, it is my duty to launch suspension procedures against the three concerned doctors." This statement exhibits the proper "tone at the top." Too bad those in charge of schools and other institutions do not take this position regarding those who commit child sexual abuse......

Just now the other frigthening report about poverty in Israel. Typical answer by sudo-experienced bloggers: "But those doctors are not poor at all". If they are not suffering from any poverty, then their action was very vile, condemn-worthy. Unworthy of it all. I also thought straight out to myself: Oy. Those good doctors, and the hard situation in Israel,foremostly financially.As I read on,I have to concur with the suspension measure,because what we are talking about here is nothing other than actual bribery,clear corruption,resulting in richer people being favored,which is non- and even anti-ethical. But surely, no doctor would need money, if his salary was high enough. I do know for fact, that in Europe and USA, salaries are much higher anywhere, which even leads to emigration from Israel by a lot of Jews. Sadly. I am luckily not employed and feel like a trashed non-member of society in europe. I don't only feel like that. My nose was suddenly broken by prohitler antisemite muslims. And lip split to 90 percent from my face.

#3 - As long as they are operating in a public hospital all money should go to the hospital. The doctor is getting his salary anyway. #1 - So you agree with them doing private work on public time. This attitude of yours will only increase the number of doctors doing this, increase the number of fields in which operations of this type take place in, and DECREASE the number of hours these very same doctors will spend treating the patients they actually get their salaries for. There are enough private hospitals in the country where they can go and get their second salary operations done, but woe betide the patients who are on the operating table after the doctor has already been on duty for his 8 hours.

The Bible is full of warnings from G_d about obeying His mandates and receiving blessings, and disobeying Him and being cursed. I have personally read these many times over. For starters, Israel shall be blessed if it didn't support homosexuality, a lifestyle that G_d calls an abomination, and that's pretty serious. When a nation is blessed, it becomes a vibrant healthy nation with a great economy and all its members will be blessed.

Congratulations to Prof. Gabi Barbash for standing up and doing the right thing.

nothing like the well paid professionals in the US or Europe.

...while the child's brain is still exposed. Constantini is a pediatric neurosurgeon - do you feel safe sending your kids to see him? If Constantini wants more money, he can come over here and hock Dead Sea moisturizer in a mall kiosk, but he's definitely in the wrong field. I thought the Hippocratic Oath would complement the Ten Commandments, but Israelis must not have heard of either of those. I'd take a doctor in the US - Jewish, Christian, whatever - over an Israeli doctor in Israel any day.

Dr. Constantini saved my son's life. It would be terrible if he left the country.

...and nobody held a gun to their heads and forced them to study medicine. They are a disgrace to their calling. why don't they quit the hospital and work in private practice, or better yet, bugger off to the US if they want to be rich.

What seems to be missing in the talkbacks above is understanding of how the system works. In Jerusalem, there is a service called Sharap (Sheirut Refui Prati), which requires Israelis to pay NIS 1000 or more just for a consultation with a senior physician. If you have extra health insurance, it's partly covered - if you don't it comes out of your pockets. In Tel Aviv, there is nothing like Sharap. And no Israeli is ever asked for extra money. Therefore, for years, the hospitals - including the now sanctimonious Dr. Barabash - looked the other way when senior doctors (and there are likely many more than just these three) supplemented their income by seeing foreigners so that they could continue to offer their services to Israelis for a fraction of what their services are worth in the open market. Canceling either of these systems for the sake of 'equality' will just convince these doctors to move abroad, where they could earn many times what they earn here. If we want to encourage 'brain drain' suspending or fining these doctors is just the way to do it.

The smell of money...