Clalit Expands Advanced Healthcare Infrastructure and Community Services in Ashkelon
Clalit Health Services is expanding advanced medical infrastructure in Ashkelon to match the city's rapid demographic growth, preparing for future healthcare needs, and enhancing community care.
Ashkelon is experiencing rapid growth, with new neighborhoods, young families, and significant development projects requiring the local healthcare system to adapt accordingly. Clalit Health Services, which insures about half of the city's residents, is leading a continuous expansion of services, infrastructure investments, medical innovation, and workforce strengthening under the premise that healthcare must grow alongside the city and even anticipate its needs.
In a special interview, Hedva Amana, Director of Clalit's Southern District, explains what community medicine of the future looks like, what the local healthcare system learned following the events of October 7, and where healthcare in Ashkelon is heading in the coming years. Explaining how Clalit is preparing for Ashkelon's future healthcare needs, Amana noted that the organization does not wait for demographic growth but anticipates it through strategic planning to establish robust healthcare infrastructure.
Expanding Advanced Care in the Community
According to Amana, this development strategy is already translating into a series of advanced medical services provided today within the community. "We are in the midst of a major shift in our approach to medicine. More and more treatments that once required a hospital visit are now provided within the community and even in patients' homes," she states. A large specialist center operates in the city, offering a wide range of advanced services. Clalit has expanded its day hospitalization services, introduced treatments for pilonidal sinus, ophthalmology injections, gastroenterology procedures, skin and plastic surgeries, and soon aims to advance Mohs micrographic surgery.
At the same time, Clalit's urgent care clinic has become a central hub for city residents, providing evening family and pediatric medicine, orthopedics, trauma, laboratory tests, X-rays, imaging, and an infusion room, often preventing unnecessary visits to hospital emergency rooms. Amana also emphasizes the expansion of home hospitalization services, allowing eligible patients to receive complete medical and nursing care at home with professional guidance and continuous monitoring.
Resilience and Lessons Learned from Wartime
Reflecting on the impact of the conflict, Amana notes that the war tested systems in real time while proving the ability of community medicine to maintain operational continuity and ongoing contact with patients under exceptionally complex conditions. "In Ashkelon and the surrounding border communities, we understood just how critical care continuity is during emergencies. People continue to need medications, chronic treatments, medical guidance, and psychological support even when the reality around them is shaken," she says. Medical teams demonstrated exceptional commitment, continuing services from fortified clinics and maintaining contact with patients.
Amidst daily operations, Clalit also honors the memory of nurses murdered on October 7 — Gila Peled and Orly Schwartz-Pinko — who were central figures in the regional healthcare system. "They were a symbol of dedication and mission, and their legacy continues to guide us today," the district director says.
Future Development and Strategic Goals
Looking toward long-term planning, Clalit plans to expand into new neighborhoods, having recently broadened pediatric services in the Agames neighborhood, with two additional health centers scheduled to open in the Ir HaYayin neighborhood by 2027. Concurrently, the organization will expand advanced community medicine in pediatrics, women's health, child development, and specialized care to reduce waiting times and improve accessibility.
"The most important investment is in our human capital. We will continue to recruit top-tier doctors, nurses, and professionals, invest in professional development, and create a work environment that allows the best to thrive and stay in the region," Amana concludes.
