HEALTHCARE
advanced in terms of technology and medical practice , competing with countries such as the UK and USA in terms of the level of medical care provided . Doctors are well-trained and there is easy access to emergency care . However , there can be long waiting times to see a specialist and a lot of medicines are not subsidised , so for chronic diseases , bills can add up .”
The doctor adds : “ Like every other healthcare system in the world , more money towards Israel ’ s healthcare system would enable more staff to be employed , more hospitals and community clinics built , more resources such as MRI machines , which are in very limited supply , and more subsidies on services and medications . The system does run fairly smoothly and is able to deal with a wide range of patient illnesses and problems .”
“ In Israel , the culture is that of a public healthcare system , and there is much more support from the government and public medical aids ,” says Spruch . “ There is , however , still some of the same problems regarding access . There are often long waiting periods to see specialists . Most people here will wait as opposed to seeing a private specialist , whereas in South Africa , the middle to upper class will subscribe to a private medical aid and see a specialist privately without the long wait . There is still often a co-payment for certain medicines and services , and there is a lack of subsidised access to certain services , such as optometry , certain dental and cosmetic services . Also , there is a high cost to private care add-ons . But , in Israel , there also seems to be better upkeep and funding for the public healthcare sector . I believe this to be because of the lower ratio of patients to available resources .”
“ The benefit of NHI in Israel is that each resident receives healthcare , services are efficient and online usage is very prominent ,” – Ruti Orelowitz , senior clinic nurse at Maccabi Health Services
“ My wife recently gave birth in Israel and the public medical care received here for the actual birth was closely comparable to the private care received in SA ,” says Spruch . “ The actual delivery and labour ward was at a very high standard of cleanliness , as well as the professionalism by the staff . If I compare this to a public healthcare labour ward in SA , it is incomparable . In SA , the public labour wards are , unfortunately , very overcrowded , unclean and with staff that is generally too overworked to show much empathy or compassion . Here in Israel , I felt as though we were in a facility equal to any South African private facility . Of course there are no private wards , or VIP suites like in the private hospitals in SA , but we never used them anyway when we were in SA . In SA , we stayed in the private hospital ’ s general ward , and the wards in Israel are much like those general wards . The big difference came about regarding the prenatal care . Unlike in SA ’ s private healthcare sector , we did not have a wide choice of specialists and the waiting times were often very long , sometimes even unrealistic . The doctor would tell us to book an appointment for a follow-up in two weeks , but when we called to book we were told the doctor was full and could only see us in eight weeks . There was no option but to wait . Here it felt more similar to the public system in SA , although in a cleaner environment .”
Each healthcare system has its pros and cons , and instituting NHI does not necessarily mean better healthcare for all . Ultimately , it is up to the government of each county to ensure there is sufficient funding to supply facilities , medicines , doctors and nurses to meet the medical demands of its citizens . ■
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