The crisis in the medical field was certainly felt in the Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv on Monday, as more than a hundred residents did not show up for work because of their mass resignation.
Arutz Sheva visited one of the internal medicine wards and the emergency room at Ichilov and spoke with senior doctors who had to take on tasks usually performed by residents.
“We have to take care of 37 patients,” said Dr. Motti Fried, Deputy Director of the hospital’s Internal Medicine Department 10. “There are acute patients, not just chronic patients. We have to do all the work – blood tests, infusions, if there’s any resuscitation we’ll have to do it by ourselves – we have to do everything.”
Professor Moshe Sali, who heads the hospital’s Orthopedic Division, said that “the main idea right now is to give proper responses to emergency cases and minimize as much as possible the harm to the patients.”
“You cannot leave an emergency room or any other department unattended, and we must provide solutions to any situation,” he added. “That’s why I’m here. I think the last time I worked in shifts was 18 years ago.”
Dr. Fried said that his department currently has only one intern, which means that either he or the department director will have to stay at the hospital all night.
He stated that the current situation endangers lives.
“We’ll be very tired. We’re not used to doing shifts anymore. Tomorrow morning I’ll have to rest, and who will take care of the patients?”
Dr. Fried said that he “completely” identifies with the residents.
“I’m 53 now and I’m earning less than 10,000 shekels a month,” he said. “It’s very problematic.”