Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein announced on Wednesday night that they have decided to appoint the CEO of Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, Professor Ronni Gamzu, to the position of national coronavirus project manager.
Professor Gamzu, who has many years of managerial experience in the healthcare system, also previously served as Director General of the Ministry of Health, and at the start of the coronavirus crisis established the "Protecting Fathers and Mothers" project to protect senior citizens from the virus.
The announcement of Gamzu's appointment came after Prof. Gabi Barbash, who was the leading candidate for the post, announced that he was giving up the appointment, likely after not being given the necessary powers to manage the crisis.
"The coronavirus presents the State of Israel with one of the most complex challenges in its history. From the beginning of the goings on, I thought that in an event with so many variables, in which the hidden prevails over the visible, there is paramount importance in concentrating all forces under one administrative envelope. For me, personal mobilization on the issue was an obvious matter, and when I received a proposal to examine the right way to formally join this effort, I believed that it should be discussed seriously," Barbash said.
"Everyone who works in the field of public medicine knows that time is a critical component in running a campaign of this kind. In recent days I have held discussions with the Prime Minister, the Minister of Health and others, on the ways to conduct this national effort and since we are not convening to reach a decision, I believe that I should step aside and pave the way for decision-makers to continue to discuss the urgent issues at hand, and not personal issues. I would like to thank the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health for approaching me."
"The success of the State of Israel in the fight against the coronavirus truly depends on each and every one of us. I will continue to lend a hand and assist in this important national effort in various ways, as I have done since the outbreak of the virus," Barbash concluded.