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The UK Department of Health described the claims as “shocking” and “unacceptable.”
By United with Israel Staff
A Jewish doctor in London says he encountered medical professionals who openly stated they would refuse to treat Israeli patients, even in emergency situations, allegations that have sparked outrage and prompted a government-backed review of antisemitism within Britain’s health care system.
Speaking to ITV News, the physician described what he said was a troubling atmosphere for Jewish health care workers and patients inside the National Health Service (NHS).
“It really scares me that I’ve met doctors who said they would not directly treat someone who came from certain parts of the world,” he said. “If someone is dying in an emergency room and he is from Israel — there were doctors who told me they would not treat him. I think that is shameful.”
The doctor said the incidents were not isolated and reflected broader concerns about the treatment of Jews within the health care system. Among the issues raised were reports that Jewish patients had been denied kosher meals and that Jewish staff had faced hostility in the workplace.
According to reports, the London-based physician has decided to leave the United Kingdom and relocate to Israel with his family, citing both his experiences within the NHS and a rise in antisemitic incidents in British society.
The allegations prompted a strong reaction from British health officials.
The UK Department of Health described the claims as “shocking” and “unacceptable,” while Health Secretary Wes Streeting pledged a “zero-tolerance approach” to antisemitism in the NHS.
In response, the government has ordered an independent review into antisemitism and institutional racism across the health care system. The review will be led by Lord Mann, the UK government’s independent adviser on antisemitism.
British officials have also signaled plans to strengthen disciplinary measures against health care workers accused of racist conduct, including changes that could allow doctors to be suspended while investigations are ongoing.
The controversy has intensified concerns about antisemitism in British public institutions following the October 7 Hamas attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza, with Jewish organizations warning that hostility toward Israel has increasingly spilled over into discrimination against Jewish individuals.
The doctor’s account has raised troubling questions about whether Jewish and Israeli patients can expect equal treatment within parts of Britain’s health care system — concerns the government now says it intends to address directly.
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