The Israel Medical Association (IMA) announced on Monday evening that it is launching a 24-hour strike of the healthcare system in protest of the passing of the reasonableness bill in the Knesset on Monday.

All planned surgeries and appointments at hospitals and clinics were canceled, with the medical staff working in “Shabbat mode” – only responding to emergencies. (Hospitals and clinics in Jerusalem did not participate in the strike.)

It should be noted that hundreds of doctors that belong to the association are fervently opposed to the strike, but the IMA chairman Prof. Tzion Hagay has hijacked the organization for his own political purposes.

Just one heartbreaking example of the effect of the strike was reported by reporter Yair Kraus, who wrote on Tuesday: “They are the parents of an 8-year-old boy with special needs. They arrived at Schneider this morning for a painful and difficult treatment under full anesthesia and after an hours-long fast. The secretaries apologized: ‘We were told not to tell you anything, not to inform you about the cancellation of the treatment. The management forbade us to speak.'”

In response to the announcement, Health Minister Moshe Arbel ordered the State Attorney’s Office to issue an injunction in the Labor Court against the strike. A hearing was held on Tuesday and the court ordered the doctors to immediately return to work. Of course, by the time the court issued the injunction at around 3 p.m., the damage had already been done and harmed thousands of people, many of whom had been waiting for appointments with specialists for months.

The court stated: “A 24-hour strike, even in its current form, harms hundreds of patients who have been waiting for medical treatment in the public service for many months. Furthermore, such a strike may cause serious harm to sick people, adults and children alike, in the long term, and the court will not allow this.”

“We did not find that there was any urgency in holding the strike today, at the appointed time, and that it was not possible to wait a few days in order to reduce the damage to the patients and give the State the right to defend itself against it.”

“It should be noted that in practice the strike has been going on for over 7 hours and this is one of the results of going on strike the morning after the announcement. We order the immediate return to work of all health services that were closed today and to minimize the harm to patients as much as possible.”

One Israeli wrote on Twitter: “I can’t calm down. It’s mind-boggling. A herd of doctors abandoning sick people and patients for political reasons. All in a criminal, wild manner and in a sick attempt to turn the weakest people in society into hostages in an effort to put pressure (on whom?!) and press for change – after the legislation. Shameful.”

Below is a photo of Health Minister Arbel waiting for the hearing:

הדיון בבקשה לצו מניעה נגד שביתת ההסתדרות הרפואית | שר הבריאות משה ארבל כבר כאן, גם ד"ר דודו דגן ראש חטיבת בתי החולים הממשלתיים ועו"ד דנה נויפלד, היועמ"שית של משרד הבריאות. מחכים להסתדרות הרפואית ולשופטת, הצטרפו לשרשור >>@GLZRadio pic.twitter.com/ztsii0gDLJ

— טל-אור מאירסון (@TalorMayerson) July 25, 2023

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)