Old-new CEO:
After more than two years, the government today (Sunday) approved the candidacy of Moshe Bar Siman Tov for the position of CEO of the Ministry of Health, which he held during the days of the Corona epidemic.
Some senior officials in the medical system are not entirely satisfied with his choice: "He needs to understand that the job of the Ministry of Health is not the job of one person."
The appointment drew criticism in light of the salary that Health Minister Aryeh Deri is asking to pay the old-new CEO: NIS 90,000 per month. This is double the salary of CEOs in other government ministries, and even the salary of his two predecessors in the position: senior doctors in their training.
In the Ministry of Finance, they expressed opposition to the salary, because Bar Siman Tov is not a doctor.
It was agreed between the parties that Deri would come to a decision on the issue with the Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, at the end of 14 days.
It is estimated that the request will be approved.
A line of appointments was approved at the cabinet meeting, photo: Olivia Fitosi/Flash 90
One way or another, Deri wished Bar a good sign of success in his position, saying that his rich experience and proven abilities in the ministries of health and finance make him the right person to lead the reforms he intends to promote in the coming years.
Bar Siman Tov comes with broad backing from the Prime Minister's Office, and in a coalition agreement that guarantees greater independence for the Ministry of Health and freedom from dependence on the Treasury.
Many in the health system are happy about his return.
"Bar Siman Tov comes experienced and scarred from his first term," says an executive in the health system.
"Then he encountered excessive control of the treasury and the blocking of any initiative that did not come from the budget department. This led him to demand in the coalition agreement with Deri issues related to independent economic conduct.
"An addition of 400 beds, 1,000 standards to the health system and an update of the budgeting of the health funds according to a demographic index. All of these originate from Bar Siman Tov's insights from looking back on his term. I hope that this time they will allow the health system to operate more freely in the places that need correction, and that the places that need A correction will be corrected."
The new CEO will have to recruit quality professionals to the office. His previous tenure was characterized by departures from the administrative avenue of the Ministry of Health, its weakening and claims from his subordinates.
In which direction will Bar Siman Tov take the Ministry of Health this time?
(archive), photo: Yehuda Peretz
"He will have to pay attention to respect the administrative professional avenue of the ministry and strengthen it. The work of the Ministry of Health is not the work of one person, but of a system that must become an effective regulator of the health system. There was no fig leaf," said the official.
Political affiliation
A former senior official at the Ministry of Health is more emphatic: "The ministry has not yet had time to recover after him. There are those who say they will leave when he returns. People in the system are worried. They don't die for him. He turned the Ministry of Health into the 'Ministry of Finance 2'. This time he will come stronger with Ag." fluctuations of the treasury, which Shlitzman at the time prevented him from implementing. His return is troubling."
One of the hospital managers pointed out that despite Bar Siman Tov's past in the Ministry of Finance and his strength, he actually failed in the previous term to bring in budgets to strengthen the health system.
"The ministry has not yet had time to recover", voices in the Ministry of Health are concerned about the return of Bar Siman Tov (archive), photo: Gideon Markovitch
"In the first term, we were sure that he would work to bring many budgets into the system, but there were times when we realized that his image in the Treasury was not so good, to the point that sometimes he asked us to fight against the Treasury without him being involved."
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