Health Ministry Director General Prof. Hezi Levi set to quit his post less than a year after taking over from his predecessor, Ynet learned Monday.
Prof. Levi assumed the post back in June of 2020 after previous director general, Moshe Bar Siman Tov, had left his position over pressure stemming from the continued surge of the coronavirus pandemic.
Health care sources said that in recent weeks Prof. Levi has held talks with some of his peers and expressed his desire to leave the position over the heavy workload and constant pressure.
The sources believe that even if Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, who appointed him, remains in office after the elections and asks Levi to continue working as the director general, he will likely refuse.
The professor will likely opt to go back to his previous post as the CEO of Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, which he held since 2012. Before taking up the role of the director general, Levi had been "furloughed" by the hospital, providing him a legal loophole in case he decides to come back.
"Hezi is going through a very difficult period in the job," said one source. "Being the director general of the Health Ministry is an ungrateful post. I do not believe he will leave the position as long as the coronavirus crisis continues, but we are probably nearing the end. He would prefer to return to his post at Barzilai. What does he need all this pressure around him for?"
Prof. Levi's team issued a response, saying that "he is not exhausted and will lovingly continue to perform the difficult and demanding role."