[Healthcare for migrant workers in Israel]

An estimated 300.000 migrant workers are currently living in Israel, which is about 5% of the general population. More then half of this population is undocumented and have very limited access to public health care. Due to the financial difficulties within the Israel's public health system, the entity is unable to deal with the needs of migrant workers. Hence, when these migrant workers need inpatient care, hospitals have to bear the costs and this situation creates a divergence between medical and economic considerations. The open clinic of "Physicians for Human Rights", which is operated by volunteer physicians and nurses, is able to provide medical aid for mild and transient illnesses, but not for chronic diseases. Israeli physicians are regularly confronted with ethical issues, regarding the therapy they would like to provide to undocumented migrant workers, but are unable to do so. In Europe, undocumented migrant workers have better access to public health care than in Israel. The Israeli public health system should permit all migrant workers to insure themselves at affordable prices, or another inexpensive insurance system should be created for them.