Israel’s seven public hospitals have concluded their strike and will be returning to their regular operating schedule as of today (Sunday), after reaching understandings with the directorates of the Finance Ministry and the Health Ministry.
The seven hospitals (Hadassah, Shaare Zedek, Maayanei Hayeshua, Laniado, and three Nazareth hospitals) were on strike for ten days, during which they only dealt with life-and-death situations.
According to a statement from the public hospitals, the intermediate agreement reached with the government includes the transfer of 960 million shekels to the hospitals by the end of the secular year. The statement added that negotiations between representatives from the Finance and Health Ministries and the hospitals will soon commence, in order to reach a final agreement on annual budgeting by the beginning of November.
“I am delighted to report the end of the strike,” wrote Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz) on Twitter. “I appreciate the hospitals’ needs and now we have reached agreements with them. For the first time since the State was founded, I have succeeded in introducing direct budgeting for these hospitals into the state budget. Now, with the agreements and the end of the strike, we have made another step forward to strengthening our health system.”