The government on Sunday approves permanent police presence at every public hospital in the country, starting in 2023.
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This move came amid an alarming increase in violent incidents directed at healthcare providers in medical facilities. Doctors and nurses staged a protest strike earlier this month in protest of the mounting violence,
The new plan will include a permanent police presence at 28 public hospitals and medical centers. It will have an annual budget of roughly $6 million.
The government further set a legislative anchor in the ruling, by which overturning it would require another cabinet vote. This means the move is not dependent on the survival of the current coalition, the Walla news website reported.
"We've just approved my plan for placing police booths in hospitals across the country," Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz tweeted Sunday.
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"The violence that is being directed at medical teams must be stamped out and quickly – and that is exactly what we are doing. There will be zero tolerance for violence in hospitals," the minister added.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
