Decision to halve length of medical internships and restructure them will boost number of practicing physicians and lead to better-trained doctors, Health Ministry says

PM mediates deal to prepare to shorten shifts to 16 hours in outlying area, though all hospitals given go-ahead now if they can

Burden of 26-hour shifts drove thousands of trainee doctors to threaten resignation last year; promised changes were never implemented

Health Minister Horowitz has offered to accelerate plans to shorten shifts from 26 to 18 hours, set to meet head of protest group Wednesday

Nitzan Horowitz offers to accelerate plans to shorten shifts from 26 to 18 hours

Action postponed for 24 hours after Health Ministry says it will present updated offer on reducing workload following rejection of previous plan by doctors-in-training

Officials hope concrete advancement of proposal will help convince 2,500 doctors-in-training to take back mass resignation this week; hundreds of interns protest in Tel Aviv

Nachman Ash says he understands the doctors-in-training had greater expectations from negotiations but says they're not possible to immediately implement responsibly

In letter to Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, intern organization says it is everyone's interest that patients in hospitals not be treated by 'exhausted' and 'unfocused' doctors