Israel’s Ministry of Health on Monday ordered the immediate suspension of operations at Medica Tel Aviv, a private medical center in Tel Aviv’s Ramat HaHayal district, following a surprise inspection that uncovered what the ministry described as serious and immediate risks to patient safety.
According to the ministry, inspectors found several cases in which members of the medical staff performed procedures that were outside their professional authority and contrary to mandatory regulations. Additional deficiencies were identified in the facility’s operating procedures and internal work processes.
The ministry said the findings pointed to a systemic failure in the hospital’s management and operations, which it determined posed a serious and immediate threat to patients.
Management and Owners Summoned for Hearing
The Health Ministry said the management of the Medica network, its owners and the board of directors will be summoned for a formal hearing.
The ministry is also examining whether individual measures should be taken against staff members who allegedly performed medical procedures beyond their professional authority.
The suspension follows a series of regulatory concerns involving the Medica network.
Previous Inspection Also Found Serious Deficiencies
In July, a surprise inspection at another Medica facility in Tel Aviv — Medica Rafael — uncovered serious deficiencies. Following that inspection, the Health Ministry ordered the immediate suspension of activity in its operating rooms.
According to the ministry, activity at Medica Rafael is now being restored gradually, subject to corrective measures and regulatory oversight.
The latest findings at Medica Tel Aviv have therefore intensified scrutiny of the network's procedures, professional oversight and patient-safety mechanisms.
Medica Rejects the Ministry's Characterization
Medica Tel Aviv rejected the ministry's decision and defended the facility's professional standards.
"Thousands of surgeries are performed every month at Medica Tel Aviv by some of Israel's leading physicians, and we operate according to the highest medical and safety standards," the medical center said.
The company characterized the ministry's decision as an overly broad measure based on what it described as random findings, adding that it would respond to the ministry "through the accepted procedures."
Patient Safety at the Center of the Dispute
The confrontation places patient safety and professional accountability at the center of a dispute between Israel's health regulator and one of the country's private medical networks.
The Health Ministry's decision means that Medica Tel Aviv will now face a formal regulatory process in which the network's management will have an opportunity to respond to the findings before further measures are determined.
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