Compared To The Region

Israel has one of the best health care systems in the Mediterranean region. The health care system is publicly funded and is compulsory for the citizens. The health care system is also universal. The government spent 7.8 % of its GDP on health care in 2005. That is about $1533 per citizen. Let's compare Israel's superior health care system to that of its neighbors.

Jordan

Jordan like Israel has a competent and highly developed health care system. The problem with the system in Jordan is that most of these services are provided only in Amman. The health care in Jordan is shared by private and public institutions. The King Hussein Cancer Center is one of the finest and only cancer specialty centers in the entire Middle East. Many people from around the world travel to Jordan for medical treatments, as medical services and treatments cost far lesser compared to many other countries.

Syria

Syria's Baath Party has been trying to drastically improve the country's health care system. The problem in Syria remains the lack of funding. The funds provided are very limited and fall short to meet the demand of the people, due to this it also lacks the quality that it has been aiming for. Another issue is that the health care services differ drastically in urban and rural areas. There are more hospitals in the urban areas while the rural areas have a few government run primary health care centers. The private hospitals which have better facilities operate mostly in big cities.

Lebanon

Lebanon has been struggling to build a respectable health care system for years. The public hospitals that lie in the conflict areas are usually deserted with no beds, no doctors and no patients. People prefer going to the private hospitals which are affordable, however all private hospitals are not the best. The government runs a National Social Security Fund which acts as a social security for the people of Lebanon. A citizen who subscribes for this service by paying a certain amount every month is covered for 90 % of his/her medical bills. The NSSF also covers the person's wife and children under the age of 25. There are a lot of private insurance companies which are doing well because of the NSSF's incapability to provide quality service.

Gaza

Gaza's war ridden strip provides very little in terms of Health care for its people. Earlier, health care was free for all residents and refugees, however, this changed when Israel occupied territories, provided national health insurance. Many people could not afford this health insurance; on an average the insurance cost $36 per person per month. Gaza's average monthly income is $200. So, if a family of five enrolled in the insurance service they would barely have $20 to live on for the rest of the month. For a person who is not insured by a private or public insurance a bed per night in the hospital will cost approximately $190. Amidst the violence in the past, the people of Gaza are in real need of a working and affordable health care system.