Political messages against reforms in medical offices scare patients, doctors say

Anti-government political posters were hung on the door to a pediatric intensive care unit, which made right-wing parents “fear for the safety of their hospitalized children,” the doctors noted.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Hundreds of Israeli doctors signed a letter slamming the Israeli Medical Association – the umbrella union responsible for medical professionals in the country – for an unprecedented strike called in March, which saw hospitals and medical clinics reduce their operations or shuttered entirely in opposition to judicial reform.

“We demand an immediate cessation of all political discourse,” the doctors wrote, in a letter addressed to Zion Hagai, the Chairman of the Israeli Medical Association.

“Every person has a right, and even a duty, to express his position regarding the issues on the agenda. But this cannot be done within the framework of the health system,” read the letter, which was obtained by Channel 12 News.

The doctors called into question the union’s assertion that “90 percent” of Israeli physicians are opposed to judicial reform. They added that even if that figure was true, that still does not indicate that the majority of doctors were in favor of a strike which saw patients denied critical medical care.

By participating in the “illegal, political” strike, the Israeli Medical Association had “damaged relationships” and trust between doctors and patients, they wrote, as well as “endangered” people in dire need of medical treatment.

The strike has alienated patients with right-wing perspectives, who are now afraid that they will be treated differently by doctors if they express their political views.

Doctors increasingly wearing T-shirts or displaying posters that emphasize their opposition to the current government is also problematic, the concerned physicians wrote.

“Patients with a religious appearance fear that they will not receive optimal care from doctors who proudly wear political symbols on their clothes and hang posters of a distinctly political nature on the doors of the wards,” they explained.

Anti-government political posters were hung on the door to a pediatric intensive care unit, which made right-wing parents “fear for the safety of their hospitalized children,” the doctors noted.

Numerous Israeli politicians, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman, have noted that the strike was likely illegal and that they are working on pursuing consequences for the Histadrut, the 900,000 member-strong labor union that organized the strike.

According to Israeli law, a labor strike must be declared at least 14 days before the cessation of work so that negotiations can take place. Additionally, strikes must be declared against a specific employer or institution, and holding a massive strike due to displeasure over the actions of the elected government does not fall under the guidelines of a legitimate target for a strike.