Asaf Peled: The Yatziv reform and unrecognized institutions in Israel

An opinion piece by attorney Asaf Peled, who represents graduates of foreign medical schools, examines the Health Ministry's Yatziv reform that prevents graduates from unrecognized medical institutions from taking the licensing exam in Israel. Peled describes a Jerusalem District Court ruling that overturned a Health Ministry decision due to discrimination between identical graduates, and raises the question: should an exceptional track be allowed for graduates who can prove proper clinical training through independent evidence, without abolishing the entire reform?

An opinion piece by attorney Asaf Peled, who represents foreign medical graduates in licensing procedures, examines in depth the Health Ministry's Yatziv reform. Peled opens with a Jerusalem District Court ruling that overturned a Health Ministry decision preventing a graduate of Tbilisi State Medical University from taking the licensing exam, while his classmate who studied with him in the same class was approved due to his status as a returning resident. The court ruled that different criteria cannot be applied to individuals with similar data. Peled explains that the reform was born out of complaints about foreign interns lacking sufficient clinical experience, and aims to filter out weak institutions. However, he raises a central question: what about a graduate who can present serious external evidence of training better than what the ministry attributes to their institution? Peled proposes a demanding exceptional track including strict threshold conditions, a practical clinical exam in Israel, and a supervised internship period, while emphasizing that the bar should not be lowered due to the doctor shortage, estimated by the Bank of Israel at 400 to 600 fewer new doctors per year starting in 2026.