Israel has started a search for 1,000 more radiological consultants, with the aim of hiring a third more over the next three years, according to a report.
The Ministry of Health said that it plans to hire 5,000 radiologists by 2021, with an additional 1,400 radiologists expected by 2024, and to hire more by 2021.
The ministry said it would also aim to hire 2,000 consultants by 2022, 2,400 by 2024 and 3,400 in 2021.
More than 3,000 doctors, nurses and other medical staff are also expected to be employed by the new system.
Israel has been one of the world’s biggest producers of radiology services, but in recent years its ability to hire and retain top doctors has been a concern.
In December, Israel was hit with a blow when the European Union said that the government had no authority over the hiring of doctors and nurses from abroad, citing a lack of EU-wide guidelines.
Israel is expected to get the lion’s share of radiological personnel from abroad in 2020.
But its foreign doctors have a tougher time obtaining visas, and are subject to strict quotas, and its nurse nurses are expected to receive less funding.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that he had begun the search for foreign medical personnel, with a focus on radiology.
He also said that Israel will increase its foreign medical recruitment from 50 to 100 people in 2020, as well as hire up to 3,500 consultants from abroad by 2021 and 3-5,000 by 2022.
He said that Israeli companies had the expertise in radiology, but that Israel had a weak foreign medical workforce, especially in the US.
Israel also plans to add at least 500 new radiology doctors, to help it keep up with the rising number of patients.
It is already hiring 50 radiology specialists, but its new hiring plans include 1,200 by 2020 and 2,200 in 2021, and will add 3,200 to 4,000, the ministry said.
The government is also planning to increase the number of consultants in Israel by a further 500, according the report.