Incident at Kaplan Medical Center: Ministry of Health Takes Urgent Measures
Following serious findings regarding suspected false entries in doctors' specialization logs, the Ministry of Health announced the opening of an independent and comprehensive investigation and summoned health system leaders to an urgent emergency meeting next week.
The Ministry of Health is stepping up its handling of the specialization affair at Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot and has announced the opening of an independent and comprehensive investigation into the incident. The Ministry clarifies that the investigation will be conducted separately from any internal process carried out by Clalit Health Services, and emphasizes that the sole authority to recognize a department for specialization purposes or to revoke its recognition lies with the Director General of the Ministry of Health, in accordance with the findings that will be formulated.
As part of the immediate steps, Ministry of Health spokesperson Shira Solomon stated that an emergency meeting will be held next week at the office of the head of the Ministry's Medical Division. The meeting will include senior officials bearing systemic responsibility: the CEO of Clalit, the director of the health fund's hospital division, the director of the Kaplan Medical Center, the heads of the departments relevant to managing the specialization tracks, and the chairman of the hospital's specialization committee.
As recalled, the affair erupted following the findings of an investigation committee of the Scientific Council of the Israel Medical Association, which exposed serious deficiencies and a suspicion of false entries in the specialization logs in the combined cardiology and internal medicine track at Kaplan. According to the findings, interns skipped required training duties in internal medicine, while their logs indicated training that was not actually performed, a corrupt practice that had taken root in the system for several years.
Following the committee's findings, the presidency of the Scientific Council recommended exceptional measures, including the removal of recognition from the cardiology department at Kaplan as long as the department head, Prof. Kobi George, serves in the position, alongside conducting an individual examination of all doctors who went through the track to determine if they require completion of training. Prof. George, for his part, rejected the allegations and claimed that the recommendations were accepted through a flawed process, while Clalit established a committee to implement the lessons and will now be required to provide direct answers to the heads of the Ministry of Health.
