Gov’t approves appointment of new Health Ministry D-G

gparkof1 Covid 19, In the News

Gov’t approves appointment of new Health Ministry D-G

By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN

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JUNE 14, 2020 16:57
Prof. Chezy Levy, designated to be the Health Ministry's director-general (photo credit: BARZILAI HOSPITAL)
Prof. Chezy Levy, designated to be the Health Ministry’s director-general
(photo credit: BARZILAI HOSPITAL)

The government approved the appointment of Prof. Chezy Levy as the new director-general of the Health Ministry on Sunday.

“I am sure he will be of great help in leading the system in the challenging period ahead of us, especially in dealing with the coronavirus,” Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said.
Levy is the medical director of the Barzilai Medical Center. He replaced outgoing director-general Moshe Bar Siman Tov.
Levy, a surgical specialist, has been the head of Barzilai Medical Center since 2012.  
He served as a doctor in the first Lebanon war and participated in several medical humanitarian missions around the world, including to Kosovo, Zaire, Kenya, Macedonia, Turkey and Rwanda.
He led the creation of Barzilai’s fortified underground emergency department, which is considered one of the most protected and technologically advanced in the world.
Levy has extensive experience in emergency medicine, as well.
“The state of Israel is in a very tough battle against the coronavirus,” Levy said. “This is just one part of the challenges that face the healthcare system.”
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Health Minister Yuli Edelstein announced on Wednesday that he has selected Prof. Chezy Levy, the medical director of the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, as the health ministry’s director-general, replacing outgoing Director-General Moshe Bar Siman-Tov.

Levy, 64, is a surgeon and has been serving as the director of Barzilai since 2012. He served in the IDF medical corps in the first Lebanon war and then served as the head of an IDF delegation providing humanitarian assistance in Kosovo and participating in humanitarian medical aid missions in Zaire, Kenya, Macedonia, Turkey and Rwanda. Levy retired as IDF chief medical officer in 2007 and then served as a senior official in the Health Ministry before becoming the director of Barzilai.

Levy’s “life project” was his development and establishment of the fortified underground emergency room and surgical wards in Barzilai, which were necessary due to the constant bombardment of rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel. The department is regarded as the most technologically sophisticated and protected emergency department in the world.

“I’m happy to announce that I’ve chosen the director of Barzilai Hospital, Prof. Chezi Levy, as the health ministry’s director-general,” Edelstein stated.

“The extensive experience he’s garnered over the years and his successes in various arenas ensure his success in this important role, especially at a time like this, with the need to prepare for a second wave of the coronavirus and the placing of the health