26.5 Million Shekels to Strengthen Hospitals: A New Initiative

Against the backdrop of ongoing burdens on the public health system and the shortage of professional manpower, the Ministry of Health is launching an initiative designed to strengthen the most sensitive departments. Minister of Health Haim Katz has signed new regulations that anchor the allocation of a dedicated budget of 26.5 million shekels for the employment of 82 nurses with clinical expertise in public hospitals across the country.

This new dedicated budget is designed to allow hospitals to recruit professionals with advanced training for positions requiring particularly high clinical skills. The funding will be directed to departments dealing with significant workloads and treating the most complex cases, including emergency rooms, pediatric intensive care, neonatal units, oncology, and hematology. The Ministry of Health notes that these regulations establish, for the first time, standards and criteria for budget distribution among public hospitals to ensure a uniform and transparent allocation of resources.

Professional staff joining critical departments

Expert nurses have become a central pillar of the public health system in recent years. They have been integrated into hospitals for about 13 years, following advanced clinical training in specialized fields. These are professionals with extensive experience who hold advanced medical authorities and assist in clinical decision-making, patient accompaniment, and providing complex care alongside physicians and nursing teams.

Health system officials estimate that expanding the array of expert nurses will improve the continuity of care, shorten response times in certain departments, reduce the burden on medical teams, and raise the quality of service provided to patients. The move is also intended to strengthen the ability of hospitals to cope with the ongoing increase in patient volume and medical complexity.

Minister of Health: "The move will strengthen hospitals"

Minister of Health Haim Katz stated:

"The addition of expert nurses will strengthen our hospitals, help cope with workloads, and allow for the provision of more professional, advanced, and accessible treatment. This move strengthens the health system, removes barriers, and provides the necessary tools for medical teams to deliver the best possible care to the public."

Dr. Shoshi Goldberg, head of the Nursing Administration at the Ministry of Health, added: "The addition of 82 expert nurses is a critical pillar in strengthening the resilience of the public health system. These experts constitute a professional spearhead, dramatically improving the continuity of care and alleviating heavy burdens in the most complex departments."

According to the Ministry of Health, this new funding is part of a broader effort to strengthen manpower, improve care quality, and provide a more professional response to patient needs. However, the system emphasizes that the shortage of medical personnel remains a significant challenge, and while the recruitment of 82 expert nurses is an important step, it is not expected to be a complete solution to the manpower crisis in hospitals.