Minister of Health Nitzan Horowitz announced this morning that he had chosen Prof. Nachman Ash as director general of the Ministry of Health. This follows the resignation of Hezi Levi as director general of the ministry yesterday.
Prof. Ash currently serves as national coronavirus coordinator.
Prof. Ash is a graduate of the School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, an expert on internal medicine, and holder of a second degree in medical computing from a joint program of Harvard University and MIT. He is a professor in the Department of Health Systems Management at Ariel University. In the past he served as Chief Medical Officer of the IDF. After he left the army he served in several senior management posts in the health system, among them senior deputy director for information and computing in the Ministry of Health and head of the Health Division of Maccabi Health Services.
"Prof. Nachman Ash comes to the important post of director general of the Ministry of Health with rich professional and administrative experience," Horowitz said. "Most importantly, Prof. Ash is concerned about people, and his considerations are always graced by a high degree of social awareness. I have no doubt that Prof. Ash will lead the Ministry of Health with his characteristic understanding and determination. We will fight the coronavirus pandemic professionally, in a businesslike and transparent fashion, and at the same time we will strengthen the public health system, narrow social gaps in health, and put people at the center. We both believe that the mission of the Ministry of Health is to be the flagship of equality and human rights in Israel, and in that spirit we will direct the system.
"I wish to express heartfelt thanks to Prof. Hezi Levi, who harnessed himself to the position of director general of the Ministry of Health in one of the most challenging periods that the health system in Israel has ever known. Hezi served the country with outstanding dedication, humanity, and professionalism, and I am sure that he will continue to contribute his talents to the public health system."
Prof. Ash said, "I thank Minister of Health Horowitz for his confidence, and I feel it a great privilege to lead the State of Israel's excellent health system. The Ministry of Health faces a huge challenge in dealing with sickness from Covid-19 alongside strengthening the health system in all its areas of responsibility. I thank Prof. Hezi Levi for his leadership of the system in this complicated period, and especially for his personal contribution to the world's most successful vaccination operation. Beyond that, I thank him for his cooperation, friendship, and support all along the way."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on June 28, 2021
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