Israeli Health Ministry Director-General Bar Siman Tov resigns after nearly nine years

Moshe Bar Siman Tov announced his resignation as Director-General of the Israeli Ministry of Health, effective in the coming weeks, after nearly nine years in two terms. He will join Columbia University as a research fellow.

Moshe Bar Siman Tov, Director General of the Ministry of Health, informed Health Minister Haim Katz of his resignation in the coming weeks, after nearly nine years in office over two terms. Bar Siman Tov, who led the ministry during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Iron Swords War, is expected to join Columbia University in New York as a research fellow, where he will research how health systems cope with national trauma. The Ministry of Health announced that it will ensure an orderly handover and transfer of the role to his successor, who has not yet been announced. The article notes that his tenure was also marked by controversies over health policy, including claims about implementing a reform in child development and publishing waiting list data. Health Minister Katz thanked him for his service, and Bar Siman Tov emphasized the system's resilience, noting that it enjoys 87% public trust.