The Israel Medical Association (IMA) on Sunday launched a one-day strike on public hospitals throughout the country amid ongoing negotiations over a labor dispute between representatives of the IMA and the Finance Ministry. Doctors in Tel Aviv were holding a simultaneous strike on Sunday over the poor quality of care hospital patients receive. As part of the strike, all hospitals are operating on a reduced Saturday schedule with diminished manpower among on-call and on-duty doctors. Most scheduled surgeries have been cancelled, and outpatient clinics and inpatient units, as well as psychiatric and geriatric hospitals, are not accepting patients. Additionally, Clalit health fund clinics throughout the country are open but doctors are not accepting patients. However, nurses, office staff and laboratory employees will work as usual. On Monday, hospitals and Clalit health fund branches will return to their normal work schedules amid a hearing in the Supreme Court over the state's request to issue an injunction against striking doctors. Last week, Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch refused the state's request to issue injunctions against the doctors, thereby preventing it from forcing the IMA to undergo arbitration as demanded by the Finance Ministry, and chose instead to send both sides back to the negotiating table in an attempt to reach a solution over the labor dispute. Both sides have been holding intensive discussions since last week, and were expected to continue their talks on Sunday in order to arrive at Monday's Supreme Court hearing with a joint memorandum of understanding.
