Record number of medical students begin academic year — Health Ministry

A record 1,649 students began medical studies in Israel this year, up about 14 percent from last year’s 1,448 enrolled students, the Health Ministry announces.

The surge follows data showing that some 1,370 Israeli physicians left the country for at least 12 months between 2023 and 2025, according to a recent Tel Aviv University study, raising widespread concern about a deepening brain drain in the national healthcare system.

In total, the number of medical students in Israel has jumped about 82% since 2021 following a joint initiative by the Health Ministry, the Council for Higher Education, the Planning and Budgeting Committee, and medical schools.

Based on current cohorts, the total number of medical students is projected to reach approximately 1,700 by 2030, more than double the 820 in 2020.

The Health Ministry and the Finance Ministry have also allocated NIS 230 million ($74 million) toward training programs in hospitals and in the healthcare professions.

“An 82% increase in the number of medical students over five years will have a significant impact on strengthening the healthcare system,” says Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman-Tov. “Alongside expanding training, for the first time we are advancing a long-term national plan for the distribution of physicians around the country.”

The goal is to ensure a sufficient number of physicians and other healthcare professionals to meet the population’s needs and help narrow gaps in access to medical care across the country, the ministry says.