November 8,2008:
After an undercover investigation, Israeli police arrested five Arab
Israeli doctors for selling medical certificates to soldiers, who used the
certificates to certify that they were ill, and enabling the soldiers to take
days off from service. The doctors charged about $12 for each day off a
certificate got the soldier. In Israel, civilian doctors are allowed to certify
a soldiers unfitness for duty. This is largely used for the many reservists who
are called up each year. There are military doctors, but not enough of them to
treat all the troops on active duty. The military became aware of the scam,
which apparently involved several hundred soldiers, when they noted a large
number of Jewish soldiers using a clinic in an Arab neighborhood. The soldiers
who made the false claims will also face punishment, as the doctors are tried
for fraud and other serious charges.