Hot Issues in Israel’s Healthcare System

The Israeli healthcare system has long produced good comparative healthcare outcomes on a range of indicators – low infant mortality, high life expectancy, effective chronic disease management, and good primary care quality. These results are consistent with the country’s longstanding history of developing and supporting community and primary care with a strong public health orientation. Due to various concerns about public hospital care in Israel, Minister of Health Yael German commissioned a 13-member “Committee to Strengthen the Public Health System” in June 2013 to recommend policy and operational changes to the healthcare system.

This brief provides a short context on healthcare system issues relevant to the German Committee discussions.