Israel’s strained healthcare system is getting a critical boost from abroad.

More than 1,000 immigrant physicians have joined Israel’s medical workforce over the past two years, according to data presented this week at the National Conference for Immigrant Physicians — a notable influx at a time when the country faces persistent doctor shortages and a steady outflow of professionals amid war and political uncertainty.

Officials at the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration said 541 doctors immigrated to Israel in 2025 alone. The largest group arrived from the former Soviet Union, followed by North America and France. Many entered through the International Medical Aliyah Program, led by Nefesh B’Nefesh in partnership with the government and the Jewish Agency for Israel.

The new physicians have been absorbed into Israel’s largest hospitals, including Sheba Medical Center, Hadassah Medical Center, Rambam Health Care Campus, Ichilov Hospital and Soroka Medical Center.

To steer doctors toward underserved areas, the ministry awarded roughly NIS 5 million ($1.6 million) in grants to physicians who committed to working in the Negev and Galilee, both of them being regions long plagued by limited access to care.

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