In 2012 , there were 723 rehabilitation hospital beds in Israel . The number of rehabilitation beds per capita in Israel is extremely low relative to other OECD countries , standing at 0.1 beds per 1,000 people . In the Tel Aviv area there are 0.22 beds per 1,000 people , in Jerusalem , 0.09 , and in the southern region , 0.004 beds per 1,000 people .

Current rehabilitation departments are badly overcrowded , with a 108 % occupancy rate ( compared with a general patient occupancy rate averaging 98 %, and the accepted rate of 75 % in OECD countries ).

The length of an average hospital stay for a rehabilitation patient is 38.5 days .

Israel suffers from a severe lack of rehabilitation doctors and nurses , and para-medical professionals such as physiotherapists , communication therapists , etc . The number of rehabilitation doctors in Israel is about half of the average in OECD countries .

It is anticipated that , by 2020 , the population of the Negev will reach 800,000 ( thousands being soldiers ) and that , by 2050 , the population of those 70 years of age and up , will triple .