Why Are Israeli Doctors Preferring to Work in the UAE?

In early August 2023, The Times of Israel reported that a number of doctors who expressed their intention to leave “Israel” due to their rejection of the “judicial coup” have received enticing offers to work in the UAE and Bahrain.

A report by the Hebrew channel 12 on July 31, 2023, also mentioned that a chat group consisting of 3,000 doctors discussed the possibility of relocating abroad, with some of them already receiving lucrative offers from the UAE.

According to the report, these offers have come from official sources in the UAE and Bahrain, who see the turmoil in “Israel” and the interest from abroad as an opportunity to attract these doctors.

The BNN network, on August 2, 2023, highlighted that the UAE offers include incentives such as tripling the current salary of the doctor, providing free education for the children of Israelis, and granting “golden residency.”

Many Israeli doctors have shown interest in these offers, while others are considering relocating to the United States, Portugal, New Zealand, and Canada.

On August 2, 2023, Haaretz confirmed that Israeli doctors and researchers working abroad have already received requests from doctors who want to leave “Israel” immediately in protest of the “judicial amendments” they oppose.

So, what’s the story behind Israeli doctors moving to work in the UAE? What are the details of medical cooperation between them before and after the normalization in 2020?

 

Why the UAE?

Reports from “Israel” and abroad indicate that the UAE and Bahrain’s efforts to attract Israeli doctors are motivated by financial incentives like high salaries and their desire to join Israeli medical institutions in the Gulf.

According to BNN, on August 2, 2023, the financial factor is what drives Israeli doctors to travel to the UAE and Bahrain specifically, given the lucrative salaries and the presence of Israeli medical institutions that have already moved there since the normalization.

The Gulf countries are offering lucrative positions to Israeli doctors seeking to relocate due to the judicial conflict, encouraging them to move to the region.

The Middle East Eye on August 2, 2023, indicated that the UAE is among the countries seeking to exploit the crisis of judicial amendments in “Israel” to lure Israeli doctors.

On July 24, 2023, the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) definitively approved the Reasonableness Doctrine legislation as part of a package that includes 8 bills known as the Judicial Amendments Plan, pushed by the government amid widespread protests in the country.

Amid heated debates, the Israeli Knesset voted in the second and third readings on the project to make it a valid law.

The vote took place amidst protests both inside and outside the Knesset hall by opponents who see the judicial reform bills, pushed by the government, as a “turning of Israel into a dictatorship.”

Since 2023, “Israel” has been witnessing a wave of protests against legislation pushed by the government to amend the judiciary, with the opposition considering it a “coup against democracy,” as it limits the powers of the Supreme Court, the highest judicial authority in “the country.”

The notable aspect is that these UAE and Bahrain offers come at a time when polls conducted by the Washington Institute, a US-based research center supportive of “Israel,” reveal a decline in support among Gulf populations for normalization agreements with “Tel Aviv,” as reported by Middle East Eye on July 31, 2023.

The latest polls showed a decline in normalization supporters in the UAE from 47% of the surveyed sample among Emiratis in 2020 to only 27% currently, and a decrease in Bahrain from 45% in 2020 to only 20% currently.

 

Prominent Effects

The Israeli media has approached the topic of Israeli doctors relocating to the UAE and Bahrain with a nuanced perspective. Rather than framing it solely within the context of normalization, the focus has shifted to the existing medical collaborations facilitated by the US-brokered agreement in 2020. This approach reflects a deeper understanding of the multifaceted dynamics at play.

However, what has raised concerns among Israelis is the impact of the judicial coup by the Prime Minister of the Israeli Occupation, Benjamin Netanyahu, on the migration of “Israeli minds,” including doctors, at a time when Tel Aviv has transformed into a medical tourism hub, attracting patients from around the world.

The Times of Israel stated that the possibility of doctors relocating abroad, especially to the Gulf, due to higher salaries, has worried Israeli officials. Even the Director-General of the Ministry of Health, Moshe Bar Siman Tov, held an emergency meeting with doctors, urging them not to travel.

Channel 12 quoted experts saying that if doctors were to leave, it could lead to the collapse of the Israeli healthcare system, which is already grappling with numerous difficulties and a significant shortage of doctors in hospitals and other healthcare institutions, according to data published by the channel based on an OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) report for the Middle East and North Africa region.

According to the report, the healthcare system suffers from a shortage of up to 10% in the number of doctors per thousand people. Although there are 3.3 doctors per 1000 people in “Israel,” the OECD countries have a ratio of 3.7 doctors per thousand people.

The channel highlighted how entities from the Gulf, especially, are capitalizing on the Israeli Occupation’s political turmoil and extending enticing offers, including benefits three times the current salary.

These offers also encompass educational provisions for their children, a prestigious golden residency akin to citizenship status, opportunities to work in hospitals without specific specialization, and the realization of additional demands.

The Hebrew channel and its guests expressed concern over the considerable interest shown by numerous Israeli doctors who are considering leaving for these alluring propositions.

BNN network pointed out that the potential mass emigration of doctors and other professionals could have significant repercussions on “Israel” healthcare system and economy.

However, they are undertaking this path due to the prevailing right-wing extremism within the current Israeli government.

“If 15% to 20% of those [3,000 doctors] seeking information about leaving [Israel] go through with it, Israel’s healthcare would be devastated,” Prof. Rivka Carmi told the Jerusalem Post.

 

Therapeutic Normalization

Since the normalization of relations, Emirati companies have been strategically embracing opportunities to bolster collaborative healthcare initiatives by enlisting the expertise of Israeli medical professionals and forging agreements.

Within a month, a groundbreaking accord was inked to market Israeli therapeutic technologies in the UAE and advance health-related innovations, as reported by Arab 48 on September 10, 2020.

Notably, the Sheba Medical Center in “Israel” and the APEX National Investment in the UAE established a preliminary agreement to enhance healthcare technologies in the Gulf region, according to Reuters’ September 15, 2020, report.

Subsequently, The Circuit News disclosed on November 20, 2022, that digital medicine has linked hospitals in the Gulf and “Israel.” This revelation underlined the sharing of technological expertise from Sheba Medical Center with one of Bahrain’s oldest hospitals.

In addition, a new Israeli medical center housing 125 beds was inaugurated in Bahrain, a short distance south of the capital, Manama, in 2023.

Following the warm normalization between the UAE and “Israel,” Yuval Harari, a reservist in the Israeli military, revealed to Israel Hayom on March 15, 2021, that Israeli doctors would travel to Dubai to treat Emirati military personnel.

Harari elucidated that Israeli doctors would treat 350 diabetes patients in the UAE’s armed forces, police, and firefighting services.

On March 14, 2021, Bloomberg stated that the Sheba Medical Center had inaugurated an Israeli hospital in Dubai to treat security officials.

The center confirmed its collaboration with the Dubai Medical Treatment Center under a three-year contract, which would involve sending doctors to train local staff.

The recruitment of Israeli doctors in the Gulf signifies a new phase in the normalization of medical cooperation with the occupying state, building upon previous instances of Gulf citizens seeking medical treatment in “Israel.”

Sheikh Khalid al-Qasimi, a member of the ruling family in the UAE, had previously taken pride in seeking medical treatment in “Israel” and captured photographs with their healthcare professionals.

During that time, he was seen donning a Kippah, the Jewish religious headwear, while lauding Israeli medical expertise and healthcare facilities in front of the HaEmek Medical Center in Afula.

Prior to the official normalization between four Arab nations and “Israel” in 2020, Tel Aviv newspapers were replete with stories of Arab officials discreetly seeking medical treatment in “Israel.”

However, following the normalization, many Arabs, particularly those from the Gulf, have taken pride in openly acknowledging such medical interactions and commending Israeli healthcare facilities.

“Israel” has actively promoted what it terms “medical tourism” in the Gulf region. Approximately 70 public hospitals and medical centers in Tel Aviv are government-owned or managed by non-profit organizations.

This burgeoning medical collaboration and open acknowledgment signify an essential shift from when such interactions were veiled and showcase the growing ties between “Israel” and its Arab neighbors.