Following a number of interim referrals throughout the week in various hospitals, medical interns arrived Saturday to demonstrate in Habima Square, with parallel demonstrations also taking place at Bat Galim Square in Haifa, opposite the Rambam Hospital. The protest were also spurred by recent incidents involving the mental health of medical staff, following the suicide of a medical intern at Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheba in February.
The demonstration was led by media anchor Linoy Bar Geffen, Prof. Asher Alhaynai, United CEO and Meir Hospital Director, and the Association for Medical Interns chairman, Dr. Ray Biton.
"Like me, you're probably asked repeatedly, who it came up with idea of a 26-hour shift? Not eight [hours] like the nurses, not 12 like pilots or truck drivers, but 26 hours in a row without rest," Biton said at the protest. "Critical hours, during which we are directly responsible for human life. And guess what, everything worked out well before. We gave better care to patients at work in the 12-hour format, and 76% [of the interns] said they made fewer mistakes."
Prof. Zion Hagai, Chairman of the Medical Association of Israel, an organization whose register serves as an alternative for the representation of medical interns, also addressed the aims of the protest, saying: "We will not ignore the complexities of the system, but certainly do not ignore the real and proper need to produce a working format that better balances professional needs and life balance. I promised as soon as I entered the position that this issue would be on the negotiating table and I certainly intend to do so as part of negotiations with employers."