A
new aliya campaign will provide up to $60,000 in grants to doctors
under 40 who choose to leave their homes overseas and make aliya.
Doctors attend to a patient (illustrative)
The
campaign, launched by Nefesh B'Nefesh and the New York-based Legacy
Heritage Fund, will be offered to British and North American doctors,
who will be required to live in Israel at least nine months.
The initiative comes to help compensate for an expected
shortage in doctors, since Israel's medical schools aren't training
enough doctors to maintain the current number of some 3.5 per thousand
Israelis.
The grants, in the form of an initial fellowship upon arrival
in Israel, and monthly supplementary income for the first two years,
total approximately $60,000.
These grants are available for doctors under the age of 40 who
have completed their training in North America and the UK and are
willing to practice at least nine months a year in Israel.
"Nefesh B'Nefesh recognizes the seriousness of this national
need and is honored to be able to leverage our existing infrastructure
to strengthen the medical community here," said Rabbi Yehoshua Fass,
Co-Founder and Executive Director of Nefesh B'Nefesh. "While currently,
many physicians making aliya prefer to continue their practices abroad,
this fellowship will enable doctors to remain in Israel and sustain
their careers domestically."
Support
for the Physician Aliya Fellowship has been generously made possible by
Legacy Heritage Fund Limited - Keren Morasha of New York and Jerusalem,
in partnership with Nefesh B'Nefesh, who have helped close to 90
doctors make aliya to date.
Health Minister Ya'acov Ben Yizri stated: "We welcome this
vital initiative, not only because of the importance of aliya, but also
due to the shortage of doctors Israel is expected to suffer from in the
upcoming years."
"The Health Ministry will do all in its power to ease the
absorption process and assist the doctors with their professional
integration in Israel," he added.
