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Decision-Making: Coordinating Bodies
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Decision-Making: Legislation and Regulations
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Decision-Making: Strategies, Policies and Plans
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Decision-Making: Major Groups Involvement
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Programmes and Projects
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Status
Immigration to Israel since 1990 raised the proportion of the population in the civilian labour force, aged 15 years and over from 52% in 1992 to 54% in 1994. In general, women and old people have had greatest difficulty in finding jobs. To help overcome this disparity, many immigrants have attended special occupational training or retraining courses. The percentage of unemployed people among the civilian labour force was relatively high in the first years of the last wave of immigration and reached 11.2% in 1992. It decreased to 7.8% in 1994, and to 6.3% in the middle of 1995, the lowest rate since 1989. The percentage of married women in the civilian labour force rose to 50.2% in 1993 from 41.6% in 1983.
The majority of the labour force is employed in the services sector (67%); 29% is in manufacturing, and 4% in agriculture. The 1994 unemployment rate was 7.8%.
Challenges
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Capacity-building, Education, Training
and Awareness-raising
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Information
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Research and Technologies
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Financing
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Cooperation
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This information is based on Israel's submission to the 5th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, April 1997. Last update: April 1997.
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Decision-Making: Coordinating Bodies
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Decision-Making: Legislation and Regulations
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Decision-Making: Strategies, Policies and Plans
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Decision-Making: Major Groups Involvement
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Programmes and Projects
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StatusIn 1993 the population of Israel was 5,261,400, almost six times its size (805,0000) at the establishment of the State in 1948. Both migration and natural increase determined this growth. Although immigration was greater in the first years of the State, considerable immigration has continued. The last wave of immigration occurred in 1990-1993. The increase in the total population averaged 1.8% per year in 1983-1989, and 4.0% in 1990-1993. Compared to those of other countries, Israel's population is relatively young.
The population density increased from 106 inhabitants per Km2 in 1960 to 242 in 1993, and the urban population has risen from 85% to 91% of the total population during the last three decades.
During the last wave of immigration, the arrival of 539,900 new immigrants increased the resident population by 12%. Of these immigrants, 462,800 were from the former USSR and 28,700 from Ethiopia. In 1990-1993, the Jewish population had an average growth rate of 3.9% per year, of which immigration accounted for 69%. In contrast, only 8% of the annual increase of 1.5% was due to immigration in 1983-89. For the non-Jewish population, immigration accounted for 26% of the overall increase of 4.2% per year in 1990-1993, but only 2.0% of the overall increase of 3% per year in 1983-89.
The natural increase in the non-Jewish population is nearly double that of the Jewish population, owing to high birth rates (the rate was 34.0, with 18.5 live births per 1000 population in 1993 respectively), and a low crude death rate due to a younger age structure. In 1993, people under 15 comprised 40% of the non-Jewish population and 28% of the Jewish population; the figures for people 65 and over were 3% and 11%, respectively.
Although fertility rates are much higher among the Moslems and Druze than the Jews, the difference is considerably less than it was two or three decades ago. Fertility in Christians has fallen to a point close to the minimum required for generation replacement. In 1993, 112,000 live births were registered in Israel, of which 70% were in the Jewish population.
Challenges
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Capacity-building, Education, Training and Awareness-raising
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Information
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Research and Technologies
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Financing
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Cooperation
No information is available.
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This information is based on Israel's submission to the 5th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, April 1997. Last update: April 1997.
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Decision-Making: Coordinating Bodies
The Ministry of Health has primary decision-making responsibilities in the health area. The Ministry will no longer be responsible for the day-to-day operation of health services. All of its functions will focus on policy-making, long-term planning, the setting of standards, quality control and quality assurance, and the collection and evaluation of essential data. The reorganization of the Ministry of Health has resulted in the establishment of new departments, such as those dealing with the issue of standards.
The Ministry of Health set up a steering committee that determines policy and priorities in the funding of new projects. The budget is currently invested in operating intervention projects.
The Ministry of Health owns and operates 23% of the general hospitals, 50% of the mental hospitals and 4% of the geriatric hospitals. The remainder are non-profit or profit-making institutions. In the new system, the government hospitals will become self-financing non-profit institutions. The Ministry of Health will continue to supervise and control hospitals, but not to run them.
Decision-Making: Legislation and Regulations
At the national level, health promotion programmes have gained impetus during the last few years. The health care system in Israel is in the midst of a long process of reform in both concepts and services. This process began recently, after many years of political and professional debate, and comprises three main components: the National Health Insurance Law, the withdrawal of the government from health care provision, and the reorganization of the Ministry of Health. Health expenditure has continued to rise as a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP), reaching 8.2% in 1993.
In June 1994, the Knesset passed a National Health Insurance Law that went into effect in January 1995. It made the provision of health services the responsibility of the central government. Under the new Law, all residents of Israel must be insured by one of the authorized sickness funds that operate in the country. The funds must provide the basic package of services defined by the Law. The NII handles the centralized collection of health insurance premiums and allocates resources to the various sickness funds according to a capitation formula. Every insured person has the right to choose his or her sickness fund. Each fund is obliged to accept any resident of Israel as an insured member, regardless of age, physical or mental condition.
Decision-Making: Strategies, Policies and Plans
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Decision-Making: Major Groups Involvement
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Programmes and Projects
Numerous health education and health promotion programmes have been instituted to improve the population's health-related behaviour. In some areas, legislation and the creation of new organizational structures have accompanied these programmes. The major activities have focused on risk factors associated with the more common chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
Family health care centres are operated by the government, local authorities or sickness funds, according to an agreed geographical division. Israel has a network of these centres throughout the country. About 1000 are located in urban areas, and a public health care nurse visits small and peripheral localities at least once every two weeks. The sub-district health offices operate projects by the family health centres on subjects such as nutrition and accident prevention. They organize health fairs and conduct training courses for young people, young mothers, and the elderly. In 1995, 5 community recreation centres began health promotion programmes, and another 15 are anticipated to participate. The programmes deal with subjects as nutrition, physical activity, etc. and their target populations include both the people who visit the centres, and other groups in the community, such as workers.
Status
Expenditure on hospitals continues to take up the principal part of health expenditure. This percentage rose continuously until 1980, when it reached 47% of current expenditure. A decreasing trend began in 1980; in 1992 expenditure on hospitals reached the level of 42%. Expenditure on community clinics and preventive medicine has remained constant for the last decade.
Challenges
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Capacity-building, Education, Training
and Awareness-raising
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Information
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Research and Technologies
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Financing
In 1993, health expenditure amounted to 8.1% of the GDP, the highest rate in recent years; this figure was 7.8% in 1992 and 7.4% in 1988. In 1993, households financed 52% of national expenditure on health, including health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket fees, compared to 32% in 1984. This rise was due to an increase in premiums and fees. Households' payment to sickness funds comprised 12% of health expenditure in 1984 and 25% in 1993. The reduction in the proportion of health care costs funded from general taxation has put an increasing burden on households. Out-of-pocket fees paid by households to purchase medicines and medical services provided by private physicians, clinics and dentists accounted for 20% of health expenditure in 1984 and 27% in 1993. Government financing decreased from 52% of national expenditure on health in 1984 to 44% in 1993. This financing includes the parallel tax, which accounted for 22% of health expenditure in 1984 and 24% in 1993.
Cooperation
No information is available
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This information is based on Israel's submission to the 5th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, April 1997. Last update: April 1997.
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Decision-Making: Coordinating Bodies
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Decision-Making: Legislation and Regulations
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Decision-Making: Strategies, Policies and Plans
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Decision-Making: Major Groups Involvement
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Programmes and Projects
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StatusEducation is compulsory until the age of 16. The proportion of people with at least a basic education has increased from 65.3% to 85.3% over the last thirty years. Illiteracy has practically disappeared among younger age groups, although it still exists in a small proportion of the elderly, mainly among women.
Women comprised 54% of university students in 1992/93, compared to 36% in 1964/65. The general trend has been towards a more education population. In 1993, the median number of years of formal education was 11.8, compared to 10.7 in 1980 and 8.8 in 1970.
The population's awareness of environmental issues is growing, with air and water pollution being key issues.
Challenges
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Capacity-building, Education, Training and Awareness-raising
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Information
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Research and Technologies
No information is available.
Financing
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Cooperation
No information is available.
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This information is based on Israel's submission to the 5th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, April 1997. Last update: 1 April 1997.
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Decision-Making: Coordinating Bodies
No information is available.
Decision-Making: Legislation and Regulations
No information is available.
Decision-Making: Strategies, Policies and Plans
No information is available.
Decision-Making: Major Groups Involvement
No information is available.
Programmes and Projects
No information is available.
StatusIn 1993, about 70% of the population owned its own housing. The figure for most recent immigrants, who arrived in 1992, was 18%. The average number of people per room was estimated at 1.1 for the total population and 1.3 for the new immigrants. The number of homeless people is estimated at less than 1000.
A Government programme combines Government guarantees to the banking system with direct subsidies to newly married couples, new immigrants and other persons who need help in obtaining housing.
Challenges
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Capacity-building, Education, Training and Awareness-raising
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Information
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Research and Technologies
No information is available.
Financing
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Cooperation
No information is available.
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This information is based on Israel's submission to the 5th Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, April 1997. Last update: 1 April 1997.
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