“In Canada, a non-urgent orthopedic appointment can take six months to a year and a half,” said Dr. Benjamin Goldstein. “In Israel, sometimes it’s three days.”
Goldstein, family physician regional director for Clalit’s Jerusalem District, is himself an immigrant from Canada. He and Dr. Danna Ekmaty Azria, a pediatrician and regional director for Clalit’s Central District, spoke on a ynet Global panel about why community medicine is the core of Israeli healthcare and why it matters for olim, as new immigrants are called.
The panel followed an earlier ynet Global feature on how many immigrants pick a health fund before they understand the system. That article noted that many choose on recommendations or familiar brand names, often without comparing accessibility, clinic locations or language support.
The family doctor at the center
“The family doctor is your first line for care, your first line for everything basically,” Goldstein said. He described the doctor as both caregiver and coordinator between specialists, hospitals and clinics. After a specialist visit, patients regularly go back to their family doctor so that tests, referrals and follow-up are handled properly.
Ekmaty Azria said Israeli care is built around an integrated community model, not standalone doctors. “It’s a full clinic with secretaries, administrative staff, nurses, doctors and often additional services like dietitians, nutritionists and social workers,” she said. “It’s a whole envelope and a whole team who are there to take care of you.”
That structure helps newcomers most, she said. “A lot of people have no clue about the bureaucracy,” and clinic staff and the family doctor help patients get through referrals, tests and follow-up appointments.
Records and relationships
Goldstein said adjusting can be hard at first, especially for patients from countries with different healthcare models. The doctors pointed to unified medical records as one of the system’s strengths. According to Goldstein, physicians across the country can see a patient’s consultations, imaging, lab tests and hospital reports through the same public system.
Ekmaty Azria said that continuity makes medicine more personal. “The biggest advantage of genuine family medicine is a doctor who knows you,” she said. “Not only your symptoms or complaints, but your family, your work and what you’re going through. It’s a holistic approach, body and soul together.”
Both doctors urged new immigrants to look for a family doctor they trust and feel comfortable with. “You don’t necessarily need the best doctor,” Ekmaty Azria said. “You need someone you feel you can count on.”
Sources
Sources
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