Dozens of Israeli doctors have signed a petition claiming that the current policy implemented by the Health Ministry will lead Israel to an economic collapse, according to N12.The doctors also claimed that the policy has no chance of succeeding in any way and actually causes an increase in morbidity and death rates. As an alternative, the group of doctors offered to keep the older population safer and to allow more freedom to Israel's youth.
The signatories, including 130 doctors who are officially registered with the Health Ministry, have signed an independent petition in recent days that has been circulating in social media. It heavily criticizing the government's policy for managing the coronavirus crisis. The doctors insist that the current policy is useless, going so far as to say that it "will cause an economic disaster and promote the human suffering of millions of Israel's population."
In the petition, which was initiated by a doctor from central Israel, the doctors explain that their conclusions from the past few months are that all resources and efforts should be focused at treating and protecting the older, more sensitive population, as the majority of patients in serious condition are exclusively elders or people with underlying conditions. The petition also noted in this regard that the younger, healthier patients are usually those presenting no or barely any symptoms.
The petition also concluded that a majority of the population should be allowed to return to their normal lives, stating that young people will be infected and gradually develop immunity, with no major morbidity or death rates. The petition claimed that in this way, a severe economic crisis can be prevented, and the pandemic can be put to an end, as herd immunity will naturally prevent the virus from spreading.
According to the doctors who signed the petition, "The voices of many doctors who oppose the government policy have been silenced and ignored," leading the Health Ministry to prevent any discussion on an alternative strategy.
"Enormous amounts of resources are being directed towards lockdowns, epidemiological inquiries and groundbreaking surveillance methods that target the healthy young population, who don't pose a threat of developing a serious illness, and only lead to their economic demise," the petition read.
The petition ends with a slogan that reads, "Coronavirus is easy on the youth - Protect the elderly!" – summarizing the message that it bears. The petition initiator has called upon the Health Ministry to invite the doctors who are signed on the petition to either meet with the health minister or with members of the coronavirus committee, and to allow them to represent those who've been dealing with the virus on the ground.