The State Comptroller's report published today (Sunday) revealed significant gaps in the health system's preparation for demographic growth and population aging - and states: Israel is not prepared for population aging.
The audit findings indicate that since the government's decision on the issue of geriatrics was made in 2015, the scope of the medical workforce and medical infrastructure have not been adjusted to the rate of demographic growth - which will lead to a future decline in data regarding the care of the elderly population in Israel:
• The ratio of geriatric physicians per 1,000 people (aged 75 and over) is expected to decline from 1.07 in 2020 to 0.15 in 2040 - a drop of approximately 85% in the availability of specialists in the field.
• The ratio of geriatric hospital beds per 1,000 people (aged 75 and over) will drop from 41.7 beds in 2020 to only 19.3 beds in 2040.
• The proportion of national spending on elderly issues out of the total health budget in Israel will increase between 2018 and 2050.
The report also revealed that there is a failure in the implementation and documentation of preventive, early detection, and health promotion activities in the elderly community (aged 65 and over). As a result, the Comptroller determined that the health funds are missing the opportunity to delay a state of weakness and frailty - which characterizes almost half of the elderly in Israel - and prevent morbidity in the community.
Among the gaps that the auditor identified in the lack of preventive actions, a significant lack was found in the following actions, which are almost never performed in Israel:
Adapting the living environment and home to prevent falls and damage.
Routine hearing tests.
Identifying dangers resulting from multiple medications.
Detecting physical and functional decline
Visits to a nutritionist
Cognitive assessment to detect dementia
Giving shingles and tetanus vaccination
Screening and early detection of depression
Bone density tests
The report recommends that the Ministry of Health require health insurance funds to comply with a comprehensive national quality index for the elderly, to train family doctors in primary geriatrics, and to immediately expand the economic incentives to increase the number of geriatric specialists.
