A senior Israeli physician lashed out accused the Israeli health care system of failing to prepare for future waves of the coronavirus, saying little has been done over the past two years to expand hospital capacity.
Speaking with Ma’ariv in an interview published Monday morning, Dr. Avishai Ellis, chairman of the Israel Society of Internal Medicine, said that since the outbreak of the pandemic nearly two years ago, not a single bed had been added to Israel’s total hospitalization capacity.
“The system hasn’t changed; there hasn’t been any medical miracle with new doctors born, new rooms or halls. The system is continuing to continuing to rely on hope this time as well, with the help of internal care providers to get by and manage.”
“From the beginning of the coronavirus, not a single hospital bed was added across the country. There is are no preparations, and nothing has happened yet. We’re the system’s soldiers, and we’re waiting to [provide] treatment.”
Thus far, it remains unclear how much of an impact the expanding Omicron wave will have on hospitalizations, Ellis continued, though hospitals have noted a rise in the number of patients due to influenza outbreaks.
Some 10% to 20% of patients in internal medicine departments in hospitals across Israel are hospitalized for influenza, Ellis estimated, saying: “The departments are starting to fill up with flu patients. It is also a serious disease and harms [the body’s] ability to function and can be life-threatening.”