Yishai to Netanyahu: End the doctors' strikes

Interior minister says people can't tolerate disruption to health care system; calls on PM to hold marathon negotiations to end crisis.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH, JPOST.COM STAFF
yishai shalom netanyahu cabinet meeting 311 (photo credit: Haim Tzach)
yishai shalom netanyahu cabinet meeting 311
(photo credit: Haim Tzach)
Interior Minister Eli Yishai (Shas) on Monday called on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to immediately halt the health system crisis. He stressed that the prime minister is the only one who can end the doctors' strike.
In an urgent letter sent to Netanyahu, Yishai wrote that the people cannot tolerate a disruption to the health system any more. He recommended convening a marathon negotiation session led by the prime minister in which ministers and representatives of the doctors and residents work together to end the strikes.
RELATED:Treasury says doctors must accept arbitrationMedical students join doctors', residents' protestAll hospitals were on a general strike on Monday and operated on a Shabbat schedule, Israel Radio reported. The National Labor Court rejected requests to issue an injunction against doctors on strike.
After negotiations went unresolved all night, the court ruled early Monday morning that the doctors' strike is legal, proportionate, and does not yet require an injunction.The Treasury over the weekend decried ongoing protests, saying that the Israel Medical Association has gone back on previous settlements, and demanded arbitration.
This comes after the Finance Ministry seemed to go back to square one on the doctors’ labor dispute on Friday, saying that there was “no choice but to take it to arbitration.”
The Treasury said that the Israel Medical Association had gone back on understandings it had agreed to in the past week and some made even a year ago.
The doctors' strike, which entered its 112th day on Monday, has recently exhibited almost daily protests.
At least 200 medical students from all departments staged a protest outside of Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv on Friday, demanding improvements in Israel's healthcare system and pledging support for the months long battle being waged by doctors and residents across the country .
At least 322 of the 400 students in their sixth year of medical school signed a petition saying they would not begin their residencies next year unless better conditions were implemented, Israel Radio reported.