The Israeli government is revamping its mentoring programme. As one of the referees from the Ministry of Industry said to me last week: “Where we need to improve is in our planning and management skills”.

No doubt about that. The question is if the Israeli public sector capable of following the advice it offers to others?

Tomorrow morning, Tuesday 4th October, 730 specialist doctors located in hospitals around the country are about to quit. Yup – simply walk out of their jobs. Now, before you scream “How could they? What about the oath, etc”, I caution you. These are not lazy or greedy people.

One of them was interviewed on television last night. When he downs tools, it will be after completing yet another 24 hour plus shift.

Typically, these are people in the 30s and 40s. They are fully qualified, and have often taken on extra army service along the way. Their average basic wage is around 29 shekel per hour (almost US$8). By comparison, my teenage kids earn around 24 shekels waitering in part time jobs. 

The whole country knows the situation. Medical unions have been demanding changes for years. My father was unexpectedly hospitalised earlier this year – it was hours before he was seen by a doc in the ward.

So let’s assume I was appointed mentor to the Prime Minister, with a specific emphasis on health issues. What questions would I ask?

• Why have you failed to appoint a full Minister of Health, but only a deputy minister? Are coalition affairs more important than the lives of 7.8 million citizens?
• Why is this deputy minister rarely seen in public or in newspaper interviews? What is he hiding?
• With all your advisers and your own experience, why have you let this situation develop? What could you be doing better?
• Are you not able to see how desperate are hundreds of medical experts that they are prepared to abandon a system for which they have trained years to enter and to better?
• And if you cannot negotiate with doctors, who are the core of the middle class and a positive influence on society, what does it say about your ability to “deal” with Israel’s enemies? 

Meanwhile, as the two sides play out the final hours of bluff in the national media and in courts of arbitration, the Israeli government continues to boast of managing a falling budget deficit. Great, but….,

And here is my final question, can good fiscal policy simply be measured in financial stats? Is not the Prime Minister responsible for the lives of his country?