Southern Doctors Welcome Program
Centralized information and personal guidance for physicians considering life and career in Southern Israel
This website brings together professional opportunities across Southern Israel – hospitals, health funds, and additional organizations – alongside information on housing, education, community life, and employment opportunities for spouses/partners.
In addition, the program offers personal guidance throughout the decision-making and relocation process for those considering staying in or moving to the South.
Updates & News
Who’s It For?
Medical students in advanced stages of their studies
Interns and residents at the beginning of their professional careers
Specialist physicians considering relocating to the South or continuing their lives there
Spouses and partners seeking information about housing, education, and employment opportunities in the region
What do we offer you?
Professional Opportunities in the South
A centralized database of residency and employment opportunities in hospitals, health funds, and additional frameworks – searchable by specialty, training stage, and geographic area.
Click on the logos to explore the opportunities waiting for you
Life in the South
Information on residential areas and local authorities, education systems, community life, culture, and leisure – to help you understand what family life alongside your career can look like.
The South – choosing to live here
Southern Doctors Community
Doctors’ Space
Doctors’ Space is a home for the medical community located at the Gav-Yam High-Tech Park in Be’er Sheva – a physical space designed to strengthen resilience and well-being, reduce burnout, and connect physicians both professionally and personally.
Click here to watch the video: “Excuse the Question – Medicine and Life in the South”
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The space will host community gatherings and networking events, peer consultations, and professional forums, alongside the promotion of grassroots initiatives and support for their implementation.
It will also serve as an anchor for the doctors’ welcome program in the region – connecting physicians to opportunities, information, and relocation support.
In addition, the space will enable social and community engagement, including meetings with medical candidates from the periphery, as well as leisure and cultural activities that foster belonging and provide breathing room within the intensity of medical work.
Opening soon (09/2026)
Personal guidance every step of the way
An introductory meeting and needs assessment, assistance in choosing a suitable area and local authority, and connections to relevant contacts in hospitals, health funds, and municipalities.
The Regional Initiative
A joint regional initiative that brings together the Ministry of Health, Southern healthcare systems (hospitals and health funds), local authorities, regional organizations, foundations, and the business sector — to create unique solutions and an integrated response for physicians considering or making a move to the South.
The initiative establishes a comprehensive framework that connects career and life: personal guidance, professional and community connections, and infrastructure for building a long-term Southern doctors’ community.
How It Started
The initiative was led by Dr. Hadas Malada-Matsree, a family physician and Head of the Physicians Faculty Unit at Clalit Southern District, with the support of the Ministry of Health, the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), and Maoz.
It was built through deep listening to the field.
The first phase included a focus group of approximately 30 physicians from across the South, who engaged in shared thinking about building a Southern doctors’ community and the supports required for recruitment, integration, and retention.
This was followed by a survey of around 100 physicians who were considering work and relocation to the South, aimed at mapping barriers, needs, and motivations.
The process led to a clear understanding that a broad regional initiative is required — based on multi-sector collaboration between the healthcare system, academia, local authorities, and business and social organizations — to provide a holistic response for physicians and their families, and to enable choosing the South as a choice of professional excellence and quality of life.
סליחה על השאלה - רפואה וחיים בדרום
Launch Conference: “Opening a Future in the South” (30.12)
On December 30, approximately 200 physicians gathered alongside around 100 regional partners to see, in one place, the full range of opportunities in the South.
The conference brought together the Ministry of Health, hospitals and health funds, local authorities, and regional organizations — presenting the unique supports available to physicians during relocation and integration.
Two main panels were held:
A panel of hospital directors and health fund leaders discussing professional pathways and development in the South
A panel of heads of local authorities focusing on the life framework — community, housing, and family support
In addition, an Opportunities Fair was held, where hospitals, health funds, municipalities, and regional partners presented existing tracks, roles, and opportunities in the South — with direct connections for continued engagement.
Doctors Who Know the Journey
The “Southern Doctors Welcome Program” is carried out in collaboration with the healthcare system, local authorities, and regional partners in the South.
Dr Meital Haber
My name is Dr. Meital Haber, a dermatologist and pediatric dermatologist, married and mother of four, living in Lehavim. I came to the Negev temporarily for my residency at Soroka, after years of building a family and social life in central Israel.
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The connection with the people, along with the calm and enabling pace of life, rooted me in the South. The Negev became my home and a place of purpose and meaningful work.
Today, as the Head of the Dermatology Department for Clalit’s Southern District, alongside my academic involvement in research and medical education,
I experience every day the strength and fulfillment that come with practicing medicine in the periphery. Moving to the South is a unique opportunity, it allows physicians not only to grow professionally, but also to make a real impact: expanding medical services, reducing disparities, and advancing high-quality, accessible healthcare for every community.
Dr Oren ziv
I am Dr. Oren Ziv, an ENT specialist at Clalit South District and Soroka Medical Center. I came to Soroka for my internship, fell in love with the South and its people — and since then, I chose to stay. Today, I live with my family in the community town of Lehavim.
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I serve as the Head of the ENT Department for Clalit’s Southern District and specialize in medical administration. Alongside clinical practice, I am involved in medical innovation, research, and teaching medical students, driven by a commitment to advancing high-quality, compassionate, and progressive healthcare for the residents of the South.
Dr. Lital Rahmani
My name is Lital Rahmani Tzvi-Ran. I am a family physician in Be’er Sheva, married to Ilan, a nephrologist. After completing our medical studies at Ben-Gurion University, we chose to stay in the South, and today we live with our children in a kibbutz in the Negev. For me, practicing medicine in the Negev is far more than a profession…
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The Negev is a place of community, initiative, and genuine partnership — a place where you can make an impact, grow, and build a future. There is real space here for new ideas, responsibility, and leadership, alongside a warm community life, closeness to nature, and a strong sense of belonging. For me, choosing the South means choosing a full life with abundant opportunities for growth.
Dr. Shay Kleitman
I was born in the Negev and live in Be’er Sheva with my wife and two children. I completed my pediatric residency at Soroka Medical Center. Today I work as a pediatrician at Maccabi in Arad, and alongside this I am completing a fellowship in Allergy-Immunology at Tel HaShomer, sponsored by Maccabi.
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Choosing to work in the South is, for me, a values-based and Zionist choice. Working here offers both clinical and human challenges, with a diverse population and complex medical needs, and enables meaningful medical practice, professional responsibility, and a direct impact on the community.
Dr. Moria Gal
I was born in the Negev, where I also grew up and was educated until my military service. I completed my medical studies at Tel Aviv University and later specialized in family medicine.
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After more than a decade of living and working in central Israel, my family and I made one of the most important and best decisions of our lives and moved to the community of Carmit in the South, where I have been living for the past seven years with my husband and our four children.
Today, I work as an independent family physician with Maccabi Healthcare Services and as the Deputy Regional Medical Director for Maccabi’s Southern District. The combination of clinical and managerial roles provides me with diversity and growth in both fields, while also allowing me to advance medical care in the Negev.
I deeply believe in the unique strength of the Negev, in its people, and in the wonderful opportunities it offers to those who dare and fully commit to it. In my eyes, this is Zionism and a mission of the highest order. We invite you to take part in this journey.
Dr. Meni Amran
Married and father of four, living in Kibbutz Kramim.
Currently, I work as a family medicine specialist with Maccabi Healthcare Services and Leumit Health Services, an ADHD physician for children and adults, and a manager of technological projects in Medical Informatics at Maccabi.
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My professional training path includes graduating from the Faculty of Medicine at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, completing my internship at Hadassah Medical Center, and undergoing the Family Medicine Residency Program with Maccabi Healthcare Services in the Southern District — from the clinics in Arad and Meitar to Soroka Medical Center and Barzilai Medical Center.
Life in the South is full of more opportunities than one can possibly embrace. To mention just a few of my experiences — mentoring students and residents, leading a course at the Faculty of Nursing at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and participating in a high-quality Balint group, among many others.
My children attend the Tamarim Anthroposophic School in Sansana, and as a family, we enjoy traveling through the remarkable nature of the South, from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.
You are warmly invited — to the South 🙂
Dr. Tsfnat Test
Sometimes, a professional choice becomes a life-changing one. Twenty-one years ago, I arrived in the South as a medical student at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and what initially seemed like a temporary stop gradually became an entire journey — studies, residency, building a family, and professional growth.
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Today, I serve as Deputy Medical Director, overseeing Primary Care and Allied Health Professions for Clalit’s Southern District. I also work as a family physician in Kibbutz Mashabei Sadeh and manage the diploma course for Family Medicine residents. I completed studies in Medical Education at University of Toronto and am a graduate of the Mandel Program for Medical Leadership in the Negev.
I am married to Gideon, a pediatrician at Soroka Medical Center with a subspecialty in emergency medicine, and together we are raising five children. We chose to establish our home here in the South, in the community of Retamim — a place with a remarkable community that has become a second family to us.
I believe that the South is a space for learning, initiative, meaning, impact, and deep connection with patients and community alike. So, if you are looking for a place for both professional and personal growth — and to be part of something greater — the South is waiting for you.
Dr. Daniel Kabot
My name is Dr. Daniel Kabot, married and father of two daughters. I am a gynecologist, a medical manager at Maccabi Healthcare Services, and a resident of Beersheba.
The South offers outstanding professional opportunities — including academia, technology, and strong career prospects — alongside significant economic advantages such as higher salaries, a lower cost of living, and tax benefits.
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But above all, settling in the South is a national mission. As David Ben-Gurion said: “The people of Israel and its state will be tested in the Negev.” It was true then, and it is more relevant today than ever before.
Dr. Tori Gavril
My name is Tori Gavril, a family physician and diabetes specialist. I am married to Arig, a mathematics teacher.
After completing my medical studies, I chose to remain in the South in a sense of mission and a deep belief in the region’s ability to foster meaningful and innovative healthcare.
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For me, the South is far more than just a workplace — it is a space of community, human connection, and a real ability to make an impact. Here, there is room for initiative, responsibility, and medical leadership, alongside close relationships with patients and a deep understanding of the community’s needs. Working in the South allows me to combine family medicine and diabetes care through a holistic approach that looks at the individual, their family, and their lifestyle.
Choosing the South is choosing a life with meaning: community life, mutual responsibility, closeness to nature, and a strong sense of belonging — together with opportunities for both professional and personal growth. For me, practicing medicine in the South is a way to build a healthier future — not only for patients, but for society as a whole.
Every Step Covered
Partners in the Initiative
The “Integration Support Program in the South” is carried out through collaboration between the healthcare system, local authorities, and regional partners across Southern Israel.
