Report: Israeli Medical Tourism Debate Festers as Bed, Doctor Shortage Grows

A report by the mass-circulation Haaretz warns that while Israelis face a growing shortage of hospital beds, doctors and other facilities, an increasing amount of those resources are being utilized in the lucrative treatment of foreign visitors at the expense of citizens. The newspaper reports that a series of rules promulgated to regulate medical tourism, including protecting preferred access for citizens and re-investing profits into the improvement of facilities were never ratified and await action by the new government. In the meantime, revenue from medical tourism is said to have risen by 220% since 2010 according to recent figures. Haaretz quotes a consumer advocate who sums it up by explaining that, “However they wrap it up, a sick patient receives preferential treatment…the partial data that was revealed attest to this.”