Israel’s nurses are still out on strike, insisting the treasury is going to have to make a respectable offer to end the strike. Strike leaders are also calling for the hiring of more nurses as the patients in the nation’s hospitals find themselves in a most unacceptable situation.

Some Facts & Figures:

The number of nurses per 1,000 people

Germany: 11

Australia: 10

Britain: 9.7

Canada: 9.4

OECD average: 9.1

Israel: 4.5

Hospital beds per 1,000 people

Germany: 8.2

France: 6.6

OECD average: 5.1

Australia: 3.8

Israel: 3.5

Britain: 3.3

Percentage of hospital bed occupancy

Australia: 73.2%

OECD average: 75.9%

Germany: 76.2%

Britain: 84.2%

Canada: 93%

Israel: 96.3%

Average monthly wage for nurses (in NIS)

United States: 21,000

Australia: 17,000

Britain: 16,000

Ireland: 16,000

Germany: 14,000

Israel: 14,000

Nursing union negotiators announced on Monday 26 Knesset 5773 that the treasury must make a serious offer to avoid stepped-up strike actions. Finance Ministry officials accuse nurses of acting irresponsibly and call their demands unreasonable. The sides were meeting in Jerusalem during the afternoon in the hope of reaching agreement to end the eight-day-old strike.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)