Repost Message #10895: Doctors' strike in Israel may be good for health

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Gettingwell , Frank <califpacific> wrote:

 

http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/320/7249/1561

 

British Medical Journal : BMJ 2000;320:1561 ( 10 June )

 

NewsDoctors' strike in Israel may be good for health

Judy Siegel-Itzkovich , Jerusalem

Industrial action by doctors in Israel seems to be good for their

patients' health. Death rates have dropped considerably in most of

the country since physicians in public hospitals implemented a

programme of sanctions three months ago, according to a survey of

burial societies.

 

The Israel Medical Association began the action on 9 March to protest

against the treasury's proposed imposition of a new four year wage

contract for doctors. Since then, hundreds of thousands of visits to

outpatient clinics have been cancelled or postponed along with tens

of thousands of elective operations. Public hospitals, which provide

the vast majority of secondary and tertiary medical care, have kept

their emergency rooms, dialysis units, oncology departments,

obstetric and neonatal departments, and other vital facilities

working normally during the industrial action.

 

In the absence of official figures, the Jerusalem Post surveyed non-

profit making Jewish burial societies, which perform funerals for the

vast majority of Israelis, to find out whether the industrial action

was affecting deaths in the country.

 

" The number of funerals we have performed has fallen drastically, "

said Hananya Shahor, the veteran director of Jerusalem's Kehilat

Yerushalayim burial society. " This month, there were only 93 funerals

compared with 153 in May 1999, 133 in the same month in 1998, and 139

in May 1997, " he said. The society handles 55% of all deaths in the

Jerusalem metropolitan area. Last April, there were only 130 deaths

compared with 150 or more in previous Aprils. " I can't explain why, "

said Mr Shahor.

 

Meir Adler, manager of the Shamgar Funeral Parlour, which buries most

other residents of Jerusalem, declared with much more

certainty: " There definitely is a connection between the doctors'

sanctions and fewer deaths. We saw the same thing in 1983 [when the

Israel Medical Association applied sanctions for four and a half

months]. "

 

Motti Yeshuvayov of Tel Aviv's only burial society said that he had

noticed the same trend in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area in the past

two months. The only exception to the trend of decreasing deaths has

been in the Haifa area.

 

The coastal city of Netanya has only one hospital, and it has been

spared the industrial action because staff have to sign a no strike

clause with their contract. Netanya's burial society, headed by

Shlomo Stieglitz, reported 87 funerals last month, the same number as

in May 1999. It reported 97 in April compared with 122 in April 1999,

and 99 in March as compared with 119 in March 1999. Mr Stieglitz said

that his burial society services not only Netanya but also other

cities, including Hadera and Kfar Sava, where hospital doctors have

joined the sanctions.

 

Avi Yisraeli, director general of the Hadassah Medical Organization,

which owns two university hospitals in the capital, offered his own

explanation. " Mortality is not the only measure of harm to health.

Lack of medical intervention can lead to disability, pain, and

reduced functioning. Elective surgery can bring about a great

improvement in a patient's condition, but it can also mean disability

and death in the weakest patients. And patients who do not undergo

diagnosis or surgery now could decline or die in a few months due to

thepostponement. "

 

During the months of the strike, patients " have been going more to

their family doctor and to hospital emergency rooms, which have not

been affected by sanctions, " Professor Yisraeli said.

 

 

Reader responses to article:

 

 

Striking doctors reduces death rates.14 June 2000 Roy M Ostenson

Appleton Chiropractic

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I believe it was in Los Angeles County in the early 70's that the

same thing happened when doctors went on strike. The death rate

dropped measurably then, too.

What else is new?14 June 2000 John A Kraft

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I have heard of this before. After one physician strike resulted in a

lower death rate, the morticians negotiated a settlement since their

income suffered.

 

Striking M.D.s Killing Morticians6 July 2000 Steve Wilson

San Diego

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Fortunately for morticians the medical doctors do not strike too

long. During these short periods of protest the business of

morticians is devistated.

 

Doctor strikes, lowered mortality--Happens every time5 March 2001

James Braly

Las Vegas, Nevada

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The 1960's saw physicians in Canada go on strike and the mortality

rate dropped.

Los Angeles physicians associated with a USC hospital went on strike

in the 1970's and the mortality rate dropped.

Physicians went on strike in South America (Columbia?) later that

same decade and the mortality rate dropped.

Physicians have now gone on strike on 3 different occasions in

Israel --in the 1950's, again in the 1970's or 80's and now in the

the year 2000. In all 3 occasions the mortality rate has dropped, on

one or two occasions by 50%.

Conclusion? I'm sorry to say, but conventional, allopathic, (drug and

surgery happy) physicians remain very, very dangerous to our health

(recall the May, 1998 JAMA article reviewing deaths caused by Rx

medications given to American hospitalized patients? 106,000 deaths

caused by Rx drugs each year on average, making Rx drugs in American

hospitals the 5th or 6th leading cause of death! We badly need

science-based alternative medicine, don't we.

 

Medical Harm24 March 2002 Rex H Warren,

President Australian Chemical Trauma Alliance

19 Pike Crescent Gladstone Qld 4680 Australia

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It doesn't surprise me death rates drop when doctors strike. Adverse

reactions to drugs plays a huge role, especially in countries where

Chemical Sensitivity is not well recognized.

More attention might be given to the unhealthy protectionist

relationship between doctors and drug companies which supply

their " tools of trade " and the further extension of this relationship

between drug companies and the actual owners of patient rights to

many drugs which are the Agvet pesticide manufacturers, and the

impact of their toxic products on human health.

The " relationship " is decidedly " unhealthy. "

Rex Warren President Australian Chemical Trauma Alliance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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