Is there a doctor in the country?

A year and a half after Nefesh B'Nefesh announced a new program to attract Western physicians to Israel by offering grants of up to $60,000, immigrant doctors still argue about the program's merits. The Physician Aliyah Program, which was created in early 2008 by NBN and the Legacy Heritage Foundation, aims to alleviate a projected shortage of professing physicians in Israel. So far, about 30 immigrant doctors have participated in the program, while at least another 45 are slated to move to Israel this summer.

"I think it's a complete waste of money, $60,000 thrown to the garbage," said Dr. Kenneth Nalaboff, a radiologist who moved from Wisconsin to Ra'anana in 2006. "If you want doctors to come to Israel you should pay Israeli doctors higher wages. Then more people would come, even if they have to take a reasonable pay cut compared to the U.S. But they won't come if they don't want to take a dramatic pay cut." Nalaboff, who continues to enjoy an American-level income as he practices teleradiology, says he wouldn't have considered moving to Israel had he not been able to be work with patients in the U.S.

"Perhaps the $60,000 can change [young physicians'] minds," observed Nalaboff. "But nobody I've talked to thinks that would really happen, because [the stipend] is a one-time thing and it doesn't last very long. Those who come and take the money would have come even without the money."

Prof. Shimon Glick, the former dean of Ben Gurion University's health science faculty, deems NBN's initiative "a worthwhile investment." He says the organization's facilitating the immigration of some 75 physicians since the program started in is an "outstanding" achievement, the New Jersey native told Anglo File. "Prejudiced as I am, I think American doctors have a valuable contribution to make, not just in terms of numbers."

He also reject's Nalaboff's downplaying the money, saying it might not be critical in general, but that "when you are moving to a different country, even a small amount of money can help you alleviate the costs of transit - it's a very important point for most people." Yet Glick, who until recently also served as the Health Ministry's ombudsman, says that while certainly valuable, NBN's initiative will not significantly alleviate Israel's physicians shortage.

Since its founding in 2002, NBN has brought about 120 doctors to Israel, all of whom are employed in their fields - though not necessarily in their respective specialties. The pace picked up significantly with the introduction of the new program. Several of the physicians' program participants told Anglo File the service they received - assistance with licensing and other paperwork - was excellent.

According to NBN, a projected population increase and a medical brain drain will reduce the current ratio of 3.5 physicians for every 1,000 individuals to less than 2.5 doctors for every 1,000 people. "Every year, 5.5 percent of all physicians leave the medical field," NBN's employment director Daniella Slasky told Anglo File, adding that 500 to 600 new physicians per year would be needed to counter the trend, yet Israeli medical schools yield only 300 graduates every year.

"While efforts are being made to encourage existing medical professionals to continue practicing in Israel, it cannot solve the fact that a significant percentage of the doctors is retiring and that many medical professionals are experiencing a 'burn out' having worked in the field for decades," Slasky continued. "And even when new medical schools are opened or enrollment in existing institutions is increased, new doctors won't be ready to practice until year 2020. Therefore, it is imperative that we focus on increasing medical professionals to make aliyah."

A handful of the immigrant doctors told Anglo File unequivocally that while they appreciated the additional pocket money, they would have moved even without it. "We didn't even complete our applications [for the stipend] until after we got here," recalled Dr. Frieda Wolf, a New Yorker nephrologist who moved here in December.

The fellowship money she received was "completely irrelevant" to her decision, she noted. Odelia Amit, a 26-year-old prospective cardiologist who will be moving from London to Tel Aviv in August, said the money will make her life "a lot easier," yet she would have "definitely come anyway." New York pediatric surgeon Dr. Marc Arkovitz called the grant a "pleasant surprise" but said it played no role in his decision to move to Israel. "I think it's amazing that there is this organization that gives me free money," he added.

Glick stressed the grant, even if it appears to be irrelevant, has an intangible benefit. "It's an act of showing the person that you really want him," he said. In that respect, the NBN program definitely makes a positive psychological impact."