Government approves 2% cut in civil service budget
Netanyahu administration cuts government positions, salaries prompting angry response by Medical Association chairman
The government on Wednesday approved a dramatic cut in the civil service budget in order to finance the gas tax reduction. As part of "manpower optimization," 2% of government positions and salaries will be cut.
The Health Ministry is set to lose 48 positions, while governmental hospitals will suffer a NIS 40 million cut in salary premiums. Dr. Leonid Eidelman, chairman of the Medical Association, sent an angry letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in response.
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"A cut in the health system will further harm the middle and lower classes during the toughest time in their lives," Dr. Eidelman said in the letter. "An independent check held last year indicates that the health system is short on thousands of doctor positions."
He warned that cutting hospital budgets will cause severe harm to the Home Front's preparedness in light of the security threats Israel faces. "This is a threat to security and a personal threat to the lives of civilians," he said. He called on Netanyahu to cancel the budget cut "to prevent any harm to public health."
Dr. Eidelman explained that the health system is extremely fragile. "Investment in health relative to Gross Domestic Product hasn't grown since the 1990s - a period that has seen drastic changes in modern medicine," he told Ynet. "New and expensive technologies such as the MRI, expensive drugs and cancer treatment did not exist then. "
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