Israel's Sheba Medical Center (aka Tel Hashomer) has been rated the world's 9th-best hospital by Newsweek. That's a great honor. But there's another side.
I need to do a medical test--not a particularly unusual one--but in Israel, it's done only at Sheba. I made an appointment yesterday--and the first available date is JULY 21!
That's more evidence, if we needed any, that while Israel's medical system is one of the best in the world, it is lagging badly behind population growth. Every family has stories about someone who spent hours and hours in an emergency room, waiting for initial treatment. In our family, we have a case of someone who was waiting for 15 hours in an emergency room, and that's where he had his heart attack.
HOW IS THIS NOT THE TOP ISSUE IN TODAY'S ISRAELI ELECTION? Are we threatened more by Iran or Hamas than by government neglect of our own social infrastructure? Isn't it time to reorder Israel's priorities to deal with real issues, instead of exaggerated "security" threats that, anyway, the army would deal with no matter who the prime minister is?
CAN WE START DOING THIS TODAY? CAN WE AFFORD NOT TO?
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