At least 80 Jewish doctors and medical professionals resigned from the South African Medical Association (SAMA) after it suspended all ties with the Israel Medical Association (IMA) last month. 

In a statement released on Oct. 4, SAMA said that it was immediately suspending its relationship with the IMA, citing concerns over Gaza.

SAMA said its decision “followed a comprehensive review of its professional and bilateral ties with the IMA.” The association is also urging the World Medical Association (WMA) to suspend the IMA’s membership until “meaningful changes” are made.

In its statement, SAMA outlined several conditions for restoring ties with the IMA. These include demanding the release of Palestinian medical personnel, condemning the destruction of Gaza’s health system, rejecting the blockade on essential supplies and ensuring proper medical care for Palestinians, particularly those in detention or conflict zones.

In an op-ed published in Politicsweb, the South African Association of Jewish Mental Health and Allied Practitioners (SAJMAP) wrote, “Medical boycotts have the potential to harm patients, slow medical innovation and erode the humanitarian space that medicine must safeguard.

“In January 2025, the Global Jewish Health Alliance, of which SAJMAP is a member, addressed a letter to the United Nations Human Rights Council opposing calls for medical boycotts and emphasizing that severing clinical and scientific cooperation delays treatments, disrupts research and ultimately injures patients globally, including in developing countries.”

The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) issued a statement condemning SAMA’s decision, calling it “underhanded.”

“Instead of representing our country’s medical professionals, they have chosen political expediency over the interests of their members.  This action will serve only to alienate members of the association, causing unnecessary division and creating rifts between professionals and communities in our country. The SAJBD stands by our Jewish doctors and healthcare practitioners who have come out against the exploitation of this body, which makes SAMA increasingly irrelevant,” it said.

For many Jewish doctors in South Africa, SAMA’s announcement created discomfort and alarm. Many have already resigned, while others are withholding decisions as discussions between stakeholders continue. 

Wendy Kahn, the national director of the SAJBD, said doctors from different faith backgrounds had approached it, many of whom have been members of SAMA for decades. 

“They have expressed concern, not just with the resolutions, but with SAMA’s lack of broad consultation,” she said. 

“We reached out to SAMA chief executive, Dr. Mzulungile Nodikida, who agreed to meet us. We felt that he and his colleagues were genuinely concerned by the impact that these resolutions have had on members. We highlighted how this was at variance with the SAMA guiding principle of ‘uniting doctors for the health of the nation,’” she added.

On Nov. 12, SAJMAP expressed concern following the withdrawal of Dr. Galia Moran, an Israeli academic, from the 7th Global Mental Health Summit held in Cape Town.

The statement read: “Dr. Moran’s withdrawal followed calls by protest groups opposing her participation based on her nationality. SAJMAP has described the incident as discriminatory and a violation of academic freedom, calling on professionals to uphold the principles of open dialogue, non-discrimination and academic integrity.”

The IMA has not commented on SAMA’s decision to suspend ties. 

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