Dr. Richard Horton, the editor-in-chief of the renowned medical journal The Lancet, presented Israeli President Reuven Rivlin with a copy of the special issue of the journal which was dedicated to Israel’s healthcare system and medical innovations in Israel, the president's spokesperson announced Thursday.
President Rivlin met with Dr. Horton and other senior medical figures and researchers who contributed to the issue at the President's residence.
“I want to thank you, and everyone here, for the important initiative of this special magazine: to show Israel’s healthcare system to the whole world, in your respected journal. I am especially pleased this is also on your website, in English, in Hebrew, and in Arabic,” said the President.
He stressed: “As this special magazine shows, Israel’s medical care is among the most innovative and cutting edge in the world. Both for treating mental illness, and physical illness. Israeli doctors, and researchers, make miracles happen every day; in hospitals in towns, in cities, and yes, even on the front-line of a war.”
“We should all work to be sure that medicine, and science, guide politics - and not the other way around. I want your readers to come to Israel. Come and see, all that we are doing here. Come and be our partners, in building a better future,” he concluded.
Dr. Horton thanked the President for hosting the publication's staff, and discusses several key parts of the issue.
“This is a very important moment to celebrate the achievements of Israel in its short 69 year history, and your commitment to universal health coverage. Your fantastic ‘sick funds’, four of them, which are able to maximize the quality and efficiency of your health services, five world class medical schools, internationally competitive research institutions, and a pluralistic, diverse, multi-ethnic society that so enriches your culture and prospects for the future.”
He added, “We want to see Israel as a global society, extending international engagement and development cooperation with the rest of the world. This series and I personally utterly reject the boycott against Israel. Boycotts are no way to deal with difference of opinion. Boycotts entrench prejudice and hate, they perpetuate difference and we reject utterly that approach to discussing differences of opinion between communities and peoples.”
In 2014, The Lancet published in 'An Open Letter to the People of Gaza,' a screed by anti-Israel activists which accused Israel of war crimes during Operation Protective Edge. Dr. Horton has since expressed his regret that the article appeared in his publication.