Following negotiations between the Health Ministry, Finance Ministry and the National Association of Nurses, the nurses agreed Tuesday to end their strike.
The nurses began striking Tuesday morning, as a protest against the violence raging in the health system and the government's lack of response to the situation. The strike resulted in medical facilities and hospital departments being short-staffed. Many patients had operations postponed, and non-urgent treatments cancelled.
The nurses, Health Ministry and Finance Ministry agreed on security reinforcements for the medical staff, as well as the addition of hundreds of nurse and medical staff positions in the healthcare system.
The agreement includes the full implementation of the recommendations of the committee to minimize violence in the health care system. It also includes a commitment to add hundreds of medical staff posts at emergency rooms, departments of psychiatry, hemato-oncology and pediatrics, and Tipat Halav newborn family health clinics.
Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman commended the agreement reached and the cessation of the strike. “We have managed to achieve a substantial advance to the healthcare system,” said Litman, “in addition to strengthening the personal safety and security of the medical staff.”
Health Ministry director-general Moshe Bar Siman Tov added, “These are significant accomplishments for nurses and for the entire healthcare system.”
Translated by Hadas Labrisch