Gov’t: Sheba Medical Center will be Israel’s future ‘City of Health’
The Sheba City of Health will include diverse, state-of-the-art hospitals ranging from general and rehabilitation hospitals to children’s, cancer and geriatric disease facilities.
By MAAYAN HOFFMANUpdated: MARCH 28, 2018 00:33Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, Deputy Health Minister Yaacov Litzman, Sheba director-general Yitshak Kreiss and others at Sheba Medical Center(photo credit: Courtesy)
Sheba Medical Center will become a “City of Health,” according to a proclamation signed by the government.At a ceremony on Monday in the medical center’s home city of Ramat Gan attended by Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Deputy Health Minister Ya’acov Litzman, Sheba director-general Yitshak Kreiss signed an agreement to help create a vision with state support for the future of Israel’s health system at Sheba.Kreiss said the vision is to transform Sheba from a hospital – in Hebrew, a “house for sick people” – to a “City of Health.” The new city of health will synchronize patient care, use of advanced technology, research and innovation.As part of the agreement, the hospital will relinquish some of its land to allow the Israel Lands Authority to build a neighborhood with 35,000 housing units to accommodate 175,000 residents. At the same time, the state will fund infrastructure improvements for Sheba Medical Center.“Today is not only a day of celebration, it is a historic moment,” Kreiss said at the ceremony. “We are celebrating Sheba’s 70th anniversary along with the State of Israel’s. During these 70 years, we have built an empire in every sense of the word. Now, we will look into the future.”The Sheba City of Health will include diverse, state-of-the-art hospitals ranging from general and rehabilitation hospitals to children’s, cancer and geriatric disease facilities.The “city” will encompass advanced research laboratories, and prevention, hi-tech biomed, pharma and innovation centers that will house start-ups that focus on everything from new medical treatments to digital/telemedicine.An academic research center for medical professionals and scientists will also be part of the “city.”Kreiss anticipates that this city will augment Sheba’s whole-person care through a comprehensive medical approach involving prevention, treatment, and complimentary medicine – considering the physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects of a patient.Sheba will become a model of integrated, coordinated and comprehensive care for Israel and for the region at large, Kreiss said.
