Call for British medics amid doctors shortage in Israel
Nefesh b'Nfesh to hold job fair in London
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
A specialised job fair aimed at helping medical professionals emigrate to Israel is being held by the Nefesh b’ Nefesh organisation in London next week.
The Israel Medical Aliyah Programme, or IMAP, initiated by two Israeli ministries in co-ordination with Nefesh b’ Nefesh, is being run in the UK for the first time. Nefesh b’ Nefesh — in agreement with the Israeli government — generally operates only in North America, bringing immigrants to the state from a variety of professions.
But this specialist programme is an answer to a continuing shortage of doctors in Israel. Some are leaving the country for placements abroad, and not returning; some, from the influx from the former Soviet Union in the 1980s, are on the verge of retirement; and not enough people are graduating from the country’s medical schools — 750 in the last year compared with the desired 1500.
On Sunday, September 22, Nefesh b’Nefesh is presenting MedEx, a dedicated job fair running from 12.30 pm to 19.30 pm. Every aspect of a medical aliyah will be catered for, with practical information aimed at making a doctor’s emigration to Israel as seamless as possible.
For some people, it will even be possible to land a job before arriving in Israel, as representatives will be on hand from various Israeli medical institutions and health funds, to interview prospective candidates.
Also in attendance will be relevant Ministry of Health representatives, who can advise on how people can transfer their medical licences in order to work in Israel.
And there will be people from the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration and the Jewish Agency, who will be available to speak to those who are partners of doctors but who may have different professions.
The event — which offers “everything you need to prepare for working in Israel, but all under one roof” — will be held in north west London and will provide activities for children aged five to 12 during the job fair.
Only doctors planning to make aliyah within the next two years are eligible to open their medical licence application file on-site during MedEx. Representatives from the Israel Ministry of Health and from IMAP will be available to walk applicants through the process, and ensure that all questions – personal or professional – get answered.
Register at www.imap.org.il/medex-uk to receive details about the location of the event in north west London.
The co-founder of Nefesh-b’ Nefesh and its executive director, Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, said the organisation was excited to bring this “transformative initiative” to the UK, following recent successes of the MedEx programme in France and Argentina.
The goal, Rabbi Fass said, was “to bring approximately 2,000 Jewish physicians to Israel over the next five years, harnessing the potential of playing a vital role in connecting these Jewish professionals with opportunities in Israel, and providing essential support for their integration into the local Israeli healthcare system currently in need of a manpower boost.”
Newcastle-born medic Dr Alex Lustman, 54, made aliyah 30 years ago and is now based as a family doctor in Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem, where he works for Clalit, one of Israel’s four health funds with the largest number of hospitals across the country.
Dr Lustman said: “When I made aliyah 30 years ago, British medicine and the UK as a provider of health was considered one of the best, if not the best, in the world. That’s not true any more. From speaking to doctors in the UK, my impression is there are long waiting lists for patients and doctors are not given much support when it comes to treating patients.
“I’ve been told that it’s been a tough year for a lot of British Jewish doctors. I know doctors who have come across patients who don’t want to be treated by someone wearing a kippah. There have been situations where it can be difficult to work with colleagues — senior or junior — who are very anti-Israel. Even the British Medical Association has come out with statements that have been fairly unbalanced and make Jewish doctors feel uncomfortable.
“I imagine, in addition to the normal reasons to make aliyah, Jewish doctors in the UK might feel uncomfortable working in the UK, or they might want to help Israel more than ever before”.
Dr Lustman added: “Professionally, the earlier you come to live in Israel, the better. British doctors are highly rated in Israel. Hospitals want to employ them and patients want to see them. Learning a new system is difficult, but you get used to it”.
He noted that October 7 “has had an impact on the need for more medical support in Israel. More doctors have been called up for army service than before, which has put a strain on the system. More than that, we now have a lot of injured people here who need rehabilitation doctors. We will also need support from psychiatrists, with PTSD and depression after the war, there will be a huge need for this”.
Put simply, Dr Lustman said: “Israel needs more doctors. We need to increase the number of doctors here, but also encourage doctors in the diaspora to move here. Well-trained doctors from the UK would be so welcome.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
