The Medical Residents Organisation of Israel (Mirsham) on Thursday announced mass resignation of medical residents in protest against the prolonged shifts of 26 consecutive hours.
The organisation made the announcement at a press conference, after the immediate resignation of 200 medical residents in seven hospitals throughout Israel.
Mirsham said that from now on every Thursday another 200 residents would resign as well.
The residents claim that they were forced to work sleeplessly on the exhausting shifts, harming their health and alertness, and endangering the patients.
In October 2021, following the resignation of 2,600 medical residents in protest against prolonged working shifts; the Israeli Health Ministry announced a plan to shorten the shifts to 18 hours, initially in 10 hospitals in Israel.
The plan was supposed to take effect in April, but was postponed for a year and a half due to a lack of budget, staff positions and human resources.
Mirsham said that the government did not intend to implement the plan, noting that they continued to be employed in inhumane conditions.
The Israeli Health Ministry said in a statement that it was in support of the residents’ struggle, but called on them not to use the resignation as a tool that would affect the hospitals’ proper functioning.
(Xinhua/NAN)
