Haaretz newspaper revealed, on Monday evening, that while the mental health system in Israel collapsed after the seventh of last October, dozens of doctors working in the field left Israel for Britain. Before that, directors of mental health centers stated that the events of October 7 caused the presence of about 300,000 additional psychiatric patients.
Since October 7, the Israeli army has been waging a war on Gaza that, as of Monday, has left 21,978 dead, 57,697 injured, massive infrastructure destruction and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, according to the Gaza Strip authorities and the United Nations.
The newspaper said that dozens of psychiatrists working in the public health system recently left for Britain, according to sources in the field.
She added that the wave of departures comes at a time when the demand for mental health assistance is increasing in the country in light of the war, and now the mental health system is facing a real problem.
She explained that plans for the departure of psychiatrists began even before the war, against the backdrop of the judicial reform plan adopted by the government, which the opposition describes as a coup.
It quoted a senior manager in the mental health system, who spoke with one of the departing doctors (who she did not name), saying: “In Britain, they will not necessarily enjoy a higher salary, but what drives them to leave is the frustration caused by the heavy workload, and the feeling that they find it difficult to see how “The situation will improve in the future.”
According to the same speaker, the mental health system in Britain is more organized, less crowded, and working hours are shorter.
According to the newspaper, even before the current wave of departures, the mental health system suffers from a severe shortage of psychiatrists, and the matter is getting steadily worse. According to official data, there is one psychiatrist in the public service in Israel for every 11,705 residents.
300,000 additional psychiatric patients
Dr. Shmuel Hirschman, head of the Forum for Directors of Mental Health Centers, said that there is currently a shortage of about 400 psychiatrists in the mental health system, and he warned that within 5 years there will be a double shortage, because many of them are approaching or after retirement age, according to the same source.
Haaretz reported that, on Thursday, the Forum of Directors of Mental Health Centers sent a letter to State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman, in which he wrote: “We address you with a cry and despair, regarding the difficult situation of the mental health system.”
The directors wrote in their letter: “The events of October 7 caused the presence of approximately 300,000 additional psychiatric patients, who will need treatment at the hands of a specialist trained in Israel.”
“Furthermore, it is not yet known from the fighting in the Gaza Strip how many combat troops will suffer battlefield reactions,” they said. “We are already seeing an increase in demand for mental health services.”
2024-01-02 17:42:06
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