ISRAEL: Medical tourism increasing in Israel

Many countries welcome expansion in medical tourism, but the boom in Israel’s medical tourism has been attacked by a government official, the State Comptroller, in his annual report on healthcare; Joseph Shapira told Parliament, ”The booming industry luring foreigners to Israel for medical procedures infringes on the principle of equality in the provision of health services”.

According to the Health Ministry, revenue from medical tourism in state hospitals was NIS 54 million in 2009. But by 2011, it was 2.2 times higher, at NIS 119 million.

Medical tourism to Israel is also growing for private hospitals and is expected to increase more in the future. Future tourism and medical tourism will be easier after Israel's government approved an "Open Skies" deal to allow more EU flights, lower air travel prices and increase competition after April 2014.Tourism is a major industry in Israel, bringing in more than 3.5 million visitors a year.

The Health Ministry both owns and runs state hospitals, as well as supervising healthcare nationwide. There is an increase in private healthcare in public hospitals; while the ministry is helping private interests build and run a public hospital with private medical care in Ashdod. There is also an increase in private healthcare, with politicians and economists divided as to whether or not an increase in privatisation of state healthcare is good or bad for the public.

In the 2012 annual report, the comptroller notes that the ministry has very little data on what and how many services ? mostly elective surgery ? are provided by the 11 private hospitals around the country,” The rate of activity of the private system cannot be compared with the public system. Going to a private hospital for surgery enables patients to choose their own surgeon ? usually doctors who work mornings in the public hospitals and moonlight in the afternoons and evenings. There was a 22% rise in private hospital activity between 2005 and 2010 compared to only 14% growth in public hospitals during that period. The time may have come to prohibit patients in private hospitals from being able to choose their surgeon or consultant.”

Medical tourism and whether treating foreigners in public and private hospitals comes at the expense of Israelis is a vital issue raised in the report. The shifting of dwindling numbers of medical personnel to the care of outsiders may also harm the Israeli public, but the ministry has not examined the problem and set down rules. The ministry says that it is now doing so.

The government has often said it will regulate medical tourism, but the latest report and replies in Parliament suggest that new rules and regulations will be devised, but it could take a few years.

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