Israel’s Medical Association leadership has been trying to assess how many physicians are seeking to leave the country for fear that the recent law restricting the courts’ use of the reasonability clause will surely turn the Jewish State into a dictatorship.
A WhatsApp group was launched a week ago, with more than 3,000 medical professionals who are interested in relocating abroad. One of these doctors’ most favorite destinations is New Zealand, which is dealing with a severe shortage of English-speaking medical professionals.
According to News12, hospitals and medical organizations in the Gulf states such as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, have begun sending official transit offers with very attractive terms. They offer Israeli doctors an extensive benefits package that includes 3 times their Israeli salary, a free educational system that caters to their children’s needs, a golden residency that is close to actual citizenship and allows them to work in local facilities using their Israeli licenses without having to pass local boards.
Last week, the headquarters of the joint struggle of the White Coats group, together with the group No Mental Health Without Democracy, announced a warning strike throughout the healthcare system.
Is it possible that these democracy lovers haven’t heard of the state of freedom and civil rights in the Gulf States?
The six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are widely considered by many governments and human rights organizations to limit civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights set out in core international agreements that together form the basis of international human rights law.
For example, all six states limit press and religious freedom, place limits on political participation and retain the death penalty, while all GCC members except Bahrain criminalize same-sex relationships. Criticism of GCC members’ human rights records has also tended to center on long-standing issues in respect of gender rights and workers’ rights. Migrant workers account for an average of 70% of the employed population in GCC states.
For more of the same, please offer your soon-to-be-migrating physician this extensive survey offered by the UK’s House of Lords Library: Human rights in the Gulf states.
