The report on inequality in the health system: more people die in the periphery
The inhabitants of the north and the south get sick more and die more. This is according to the report on inequality in the health care system in Israel for 2022, recently published by the Ministry of Health. These receive less medical services, fewer specialists and less medical equipment. The result is a shorter life expectancy compared to the residents of the center.According to the report, the national average of life expectancy in the years 2020-2022 was 82.7, when divided by region of residence, the highest life expectancy was in the Central District (84) and the Judea and Samaria Region (83.9), while the lowest was in the North and South Districts (81.3).

In the division by population groups, the highest life expectancy among Jews and others was in the central districts and Jerusalem (84.3 and 84.1 respectively) and the lowest in the southern and northern districts (81.9 and 82.2 respectively). Among the Arab population, the highest life expectancy was in the northern and Jerusalem districts (80.1 and 79.3 respectively) and the lowest in the Tel Aviv and central districts (74.5 and 78.1 respectively).

The report also shows that in 2022 the number of male and female doctors per 1,000 people at the national level was 3.2. In the districts of Tel Aviv and Haifa this rate is the highest (4.97 and 3.71 respectively), while in the southern district and the Judea and Samaria region it is the lowest (1.92 and 1.52 respectively). The same is true of specialist medicine.

“The Ministry of Health places emphasis on reducing the gaps between the center and the periphery,” said Health Minister Uriel Bosso. “We are working to significantly increase quality medical personnel, and to expand the supply of medical services to all residents, through the reform of the selection procedures, which allows patients from all over the country to choose where they will be examined and treated.”

Director General of the Ministry of Health Moshe Bar Siman Tov added: “It must be recognized that there are gaps in the system between populations and regions in Israel. We are constantly working to reduce the gaps in order to enable high-quality, equitable and accessible medical service for everyone who needs it.”

By Editor

Leave a Reply