Immigrants from the former USSR in the medical professions employed by Israel’s hospitals
In June, over 100 participants in the “Masa “medical track passed the Ministry of Health licensing exams and are certified to practice medicine in Israel with a pass rate of over 90%.
MASA in Haifa
Young people from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus comprise a significant share of the participants, with a record 2,000 participants in 2023.
Ordinary, a considerable percentage of Masa participants choose to remain in Israel after the program.
All the Medical Track participants decided to stay in Israel and were placed for internships in different hospitals nationwide.
Shalom Norman of the Triguboff Institute stated, “At a meeting in Haifa organized by the Triguboff Institute for the “Masa” medical track participants who recently arrived in Israel, it became clear that recent effects had not significantly affected the number of participants from Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and Belarus.”
Rita Later, project coordinator for Russian-language projects at the Triguboff Institute, stated, “On the contrary. By October 7, there were 750 participants in the program. It is amazing to know that an additional 235 participants joined program from Russia Belarus and Ukraine after the fighting began, despite the difficult times. Over 100 amongst them are graduates of different Medical schools in Russia and Ukraine”.
The recently arrived participants will be preparing for their exams and accreditation to practice medicine in Israel. Last week, 80 participants in the medical track program started the preparatory studies conducted in Russian in Haifa Rambam Hospital. Another group of 30 physicians are studying at Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheba, and 15 dentists are studying in a program in Ra’anana.
Margarita Abolits and Vadim Mamedov are among the last year’s participants. They came from Moscow, and decided to stay upon getting their internship placement. Both graduated from the medical faculty of the Moscow State University. They came to the program together with their four-year-old daughter.
Both have more than seven years of experience. Vadim worked as a surgeon-urologist in a large hospital and has a PhD in medicine. Margarita worked as an obstetrician-gynecologist in the largest maternity hospital in Moscow. Both successfully passed the Rambam hospital course and passed the license exams. “Ironically, our daughter, who went to a local kindergarten during the preparatory program and who began to speak Hebrew, became our main source of help in improving our Hebrew language skills”, stated Vadim in the “Masa program” gathering last week. In the first week of December, Vadim started his internship at Poriyah Hospital. Margarita will continue her ulpan for Hebrew studies and is expected to get an internship placement in spring 2024
Alongside the medical track, the Masa program also operates a hi-tech and computer track and a large variety of additional programs that allow young people and couples to engage directly in their profession and experience routine life in Israel. Following a meeting with the participants.
Triguboff Institute’s Shalom Norman said: “It was heartwarming to meet with such a group that is joining us in these difficult times. The meeting was held after we were preoccupied with the challenging days of war, meetings in the south of Israel with evacuated families and the survivors, and attending funerals. It is a reminder that alongside our need to ensure the safe future of our settlements in the Negev and the legacy of our Zionist founders , we must also ensure Aliyah, which breathes life into the 21st century Zionism, it is the existential basis of our future in this troubled neighborhood.”
Maj. General (Res.) Doron Almog, Chair of the Jewish Agency, added, “We cannot ease off. We must prepare for and guarantee the absorption of another million [new immigrants].”
In addition to its many other projects, the Triguboff Institute is working with Agmon, a non-profit organization, to aid in rehabilitating the social and agricultural infrastructure in the Shaar Henegev Regional Council and Kibbutz Kfar Aza .
