On my first trip out of the country, I was eager to explore Israel and learn about its ancient history. Instead, I found myself stuck in an Israeli hospital and quickly discovered the dysfunction of socialized healthcare.
Five days into my 10-day visit to Israel in January, a vehement sickness had taken a toll on me. I was taken to a clinic in Jerusalem, where I received four hours of treatment until about three in the morning. The doctors determined that I had the flu, gave me a prescription, and were about to send me on my way. However, as I was about to check out, the doctor suddenly came back, wanting results from more tests. The results showed that I had low oxygen levels and that the most likely cause was pneumonia.
Things went downhill from there.
I was sent off in an ambulance, oxygen mask around my face, to the nearest hospital a mile away. They wheeled me into the emergency room, where I was shocked to see sick, elderly patients lining the hallways. They placed me near some supply cabinets and hooked me up to a more permanent oxygen source. Patients were screaming and moaning through the night due to their long wait times. It was the height of Israel’s flu season.
I was in a daze. Just hours ago, I had been sitting at my first Shabbat dinner in the Holy Land of Israel. Now, I was forced into a completely different Israeli experience: socialized healthcare.
Their socialized healthcare system offers universal healthcare coverage through the country’s national health insurance, passed in 1995. The legislation established universal coverage by providing four nonprofit healthcare plans for Israelis to choose from.
Some Israelis use both Israel’s national insurance as well as private doctors provided by Sharap — an additional private healthcare service doctors offer on top of their normal socialized healthcare duties. This extra coverage is more expensive than simply accepting Israel’s socialized plans, but, unsurprisingly, paying patients receive more specialized care in a timely manner. Without Sharap, I had to rely on general care, and boy, did it disappoint.
Trapped in the crowded emergency room, I tried my best to sleep. I soon awoke Saturday morning to the news that I was going to be sent to the intensive care unit. They gave me a gown, took X-rays of my chest, and wheeled me to my own room in the unit.
Here, the staff was even thinner. My family informed me that the one doctor they spoke with the entire time I was hospitalized told them that this was normal, and that the hospital I was at averages about one-fifth the staff American hospitals provide. As a result, I spent the next three days in the intensive care unit without getting any test results back from the doctors.
Both Israel’s doctor-to-patient and nurse-to-patient ratios had been in decline for years before my visit. In my case, it would sometimes take an hour for a nurse to answer my request for help, and I would rarely ever get to see or get to speak with an actual doctor.
Once we finally received my test results, they confirmed I had influenza B and pneumonia. While they had already been treating me with Tamiflu and antibiotics, others on my trip were told they could not purchase Tamiflu because of a reported shortage. The Times of Israel reported on this shortage, as Israelis found it difficult to obtain a flu shot just weeks before.
Monday, I was released from the ICU to the therapeutic department, where I finally had access to an actual bathroom with a toilet and a sink. I was placed between my two new roommates, both with their spouses accompanying them. I asked the staff if I’d get an update from a doctor about my estimated recovery time and was told that I’d get to see a doctor that night. However, I went without seeing a doctor all day.
Tuesday, we had good news. They said I would be released that day or the next. My illness had faded drastically, and my friends who accompanied me had successfully pushed the hospital staff to authorize my flight back home. My friends and I passed the time talking about news and politics, hoping for an early release that day. Sadly, night came with no word on my discharge.
Wednesday, the doctors informed me that I’d be released after they had done one more X-ray on my lungs and prescribed me some medication for my trip back to America. That afternoon, they called me downstairs to take my final X-ray, and I was soon released, on my way back to my hotel and relieved beyond belief to be headed back home.
While this visit to Israel was not what I had planned, I learned firsthand of the difficulties the nation and its people face under socialized healthcare. I appreciate the care and consideration the nurses and doctors gave to me, and I do hope to come back to Israel in the future. I just hope that next time I fall ill while traveling, I’m somewhere with a free market healthcare system.
Jeffrey Tomblin (@JeffreyTomblin) is the digital media director of Lone Conservative, an online platform for college conservatives. He’s also an alumnus of the University of Georgia, where he practiced media theory, research, planning, and production.
