Nurses in Israel: the struggle for regulating the profession

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Policy
• Nursing Regulation

Background:

• Israel, with 6 million inhabitants, had approximately 33,000 nurses in 1998, a ratio of 180 per 100,000 population.
• Despite numerous drafts since the 1970s, Israel has not enacted a specific nurses' law.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the historical context and obstacles in establishing a legal framework for nursing in Israel.
• To understand the proposed scope of a nurses' law, including professional definition, practice, training, and specialization.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of legislative drafts and committee deliberations between 1993 and 1996.
• Identification of stakeholder opposition to proposed nursing legislation.

Main Results:

• Multiple drafts for a nurses' law were deliberated by Ministry of Health committees between 1993 and 1996.
• Key stakeholders, including physicians, the nurses' union, and the midwives' union, opposed the legislation.

Conclusions:

• The absence of a nurses' law in Israel reflects significant professional and political opposition.
• Establishing a legal framework for nursing practice in Israel faced considerable challenges from various professional bodies.