"If you don't aim high, you will always find yourself too low"

In the complex reality of the public health system in Israel, the daily management challenge requires delicate maneuvering between dealing with limited resources and maintaining medical excellence. For Professor Ohad Hochman, CEO of the Bnai Zion Medical Center in Haifa, the key to leading a medical organization lies in the ability to raise one's gaze beyond the limitations of the present:

"First of all, you set the horizon line and from it you derive backwards what needs to be done - and then you take into account the various limitations. It's hard to get there. If you don't aim high - you will always find yourself too low."

Professor Hochman has been leading this perception for the past two years at the veteran Haifa institution, which marked one hundred years since its establishment in 2022. This is a deep strategic process designed to shape the face of the hospital until 2050. The goal is to make the municipal Bnai Zion hospital the first choice for both patients and medical staff.

Enlisting the staff for the vision

The strategic program was developed in close cooperation with the hospital staff, the Ministry of Health, and the municipality. It relies on four leading principles:

1. Leadership (Leader) — defining areas where the hospital will lead and act as a central professional authority.

2. Innovation and Technology (Smart) — positioning at the forefront of science, including AI integration and fostering academic research.

3. Humanity and Friendliness (Friendly) — preserving the personal touch and family atmosphere that have been a hallmark of the institution.

4. Resilience (Resilience) — providing a response to emergency challenges, including wars and pandemics, with a focus on physical protection and preventing burnout.

"Such a program cannot remain on paper, it must be a breathing program that constantly adapts itself to changing conditions," emphasizes Professor Hochman, an expert in medical administration and former Chief Medical Officer in the Navy.

To translate these principles into action, the hospital held events like "Connected Day," where Professor Hochman met with diverse teams to present the move. "When you offer professionals a broad horizon and a clear vision, it is easier to attract excellent manpower," he notes.

Centers of excellence

One of the program's central goals is the development of "centers of excellence." To be defined as such, a system must meet three criteria: large-scale population response, uniqueness, and multi-disciplinary cooperation. Prominent examples include the comprehensive breast cancer treatment system, the only rehabilitation department in the northern region, and cochlear implant surgeries.

Architectural planning for stage A is now beginning, involving the construction of a new protected clinic building, demolishing the old structure, and building both upwards and underground.

Resilience under fire

The fact that Bnai Zion is located on a mountainside in Haifa becomes a double strategic advantage within the program. Building deep into the ground allows for the establishment of protected infrastructures at the highest level of resilience without damaging the urban environment.

The last two years have put the hospital to a complex daily test in emergencies due to the fighting in the north. The hospital developed skills for transferring patients from non-protected departments to protected complexes during alarms. Simultaneously, a broad support system was operated to prevent burnout among staff.

In national satisfaction surveys, the medical center consistently ranks at the top. In 2024 and 2025, the hospital met all quality goals set by the Ministry of Health, achieving prominent results in the fight to prevent cross-infections.

"The combination of a glorious heritage and a forward-looking strategic vision is what charts the path of the Bnai Zion Medical Center," concludes Professor Ohad Hochman. "The hospital proves that even within budget constraints, defining a high horizon line is the right way to lead a medical organization to excellence."