Director of the Ministry of Health Prof. Hezi Levi was ready to retire less than a year after taking over from his predecessor, Ynet learned Monday.
Prof. Levi took over the post in June 2020 after former chief executive Moshe Bar Siman Tov resigned over pressure stemming from a continuing rise in the coronavirus pandemic.
Health care sources said that Dr. Levi has held talks with some of his peers and expressed his desire to leave the situation over the burden of heavy workload and constant stress.
The sources believe that even if Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, who appointed him, remained in office after the elections and urged Levi to continue as the general director, he seems likely to have refused. .
The professor is likely to choose to return to his previous role as Head of Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, which he has held since 2012. Prior to taking over as director general, Levi had being “furloughed” by the hospital, giving him a legal gap in case he decides to return.
“Hezi is going through a very difficult time at work,” one source said. “Being chief executive of the Ministry of Health is an unsatisfactory role. I don’t think he will leave the post while the coronavirus crisis continues, but we are close to the end. He prefers to return to his career at Barzilai. Why does he need all the pressure around him? “
Prof. Levi’s team issued a response, saying “he is not tired and will continue to perform the difficult and challenging role.”