Medical crisis: Treasury accepts court's proposal

At the pinnacle of a long, ongoing battle, the medical residents agreed Sunday morning to accept the High Court of Justice's proposal to renew wage negotiations with Treasury.

Following another crucial hearing before the court, Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch offered to appoint two mediators to help speed the process along: Former Supreme Court Justice Professor Yitzhak Zamir and President of the Israeli Association of Mediators Professor Moti Mironi.

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Beinisch instructed both sides to announce whether or not they accept this mediation committee as well as the proposal to renew talks by 8 pm Sunday. Initially the Treasury rejected Beinish's proposal to appoint Mironi as one of the mediators, saying the second mediator should be someone in the medical field. However, the Treasury later accepted the proposal after Beinish accused it of trying to undermine the negotiations. 

Medical residents dressed as Indians (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

The medical residents' representatives announced that out of respect for the court they intend to return to work immediately, but it is still unclear whether all of the doctors will agree to this decision.

The decision to renew negotiations was made following an emergency meeting of the residents' representatives, in which they deliberated on whether to follow the High Court's ruling ordering them to return to their posts, or make their resignations final.

'Intensive' talks

The hundreds of residents, who had already tendered their resignations, have expressed their readiness to renew "intensive" talks with the Treasury to close the book on the ongoing conflict.

The residents had requested the discussions be held under the auspices of the HCJ for a week, with the help of mediators on both sides. They also asked to allow a senior doctors' representative to join the meetings.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in closed talks with officials from the Health and Finance ministries, said that a situation in which doctors do not abide by court orders was "unacceptable."

Netanyahu was briefed by officials from both ministries about the wage raises and other benefits – including financial aid to medical students – which the residents rejected. Last week the prime minster was quoted by Health Ministry Director General Roni Gamzo as threatening to replace the residents with doctors from India.

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