By the time Australia begins its vaccine rollout, more than two million Israelis will have received their COVID jabs under the country’s “world class” health system.
Israel is on track to vaccinate its entire population by March, before Australia has even started.
An Australian living in Tel Aviv says that the country’s efficient health system had shown remarkable speed.
Paul Israel’s in-laws have already had their jab, and his wife was due to have one next week.
He said that Israel’s health system was world class compared to when he first moved there from Melbourne in 1983.
More than 1 million Israelis have already had the first dose of the Pfizer jab, with the country on track for 2 million vaccinations by the end of January.
The entire country’s 10 million residents could be vaccinated by March, in time for a national election, where President Benjamin Netanyahu is desperately trying to hold on to power.
But Mr Israel said that Israel’s competitive care set up, where four health maintenance organisations (HMOs) compete for patients across the country, was behind the efficiency.
“The HMOs, all four are national. When I moved here in 1983 it was a disgrace, there were queues, it was a mess,” he said.
Read the article by Stephen Drill in the Herald Sun.