Poll: 50% of young doctors plan to leave Israel

A Ben-Gurion University survey found that about half of medical residents in Israel plan to move abroad for permanent work within the next five years. 28.6% have already taken practical steps. The main reasons: low salary, overload, and the political situation. The highest level of migration sentiment is among surgeons and anesthesiologists.

A new study by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Be'er Sheva sounds the alarm: about half of medical residents in Israel plan to move abroad for permanent work within the next five years. 28.6% have already taken practical steps to relocate. The main reasons are low salary, working to exhaustion for many hours, and the political situation. The highest level of migration sentiment was recorded among residents in surgical specialties and anesthesiology. The study, funded by the National Institute for Health Services Research, was based on an anonymous online questionnaire answered by 634 interns and residents. Researchers note that the problem is not with the profession itself, but with working conditions. The political situation and sense of security also strongly influence the desire to leave. Men reported intention to emigrate more often than women, non-Jews more often than Jews, and secular individuals more often than religious ones.