Rambam Director Professor Halbertal will also manage a mental health center

Professor Miki Halbertal, Director of the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, has been appointed Chief Director of the Mental Health Center “Ma’ale Carmel” at Carmel Castle, concurrently with the Rambam Director. This is part of a vision to unify the two centers – a process that is currently in its infancy.

In recent years, Professor Halbert has presented a vision for the growth and development of the public health system, and the Rambam in particular, that will be compatible with the significant population growth expected in the State of Israel over the coming decades. This growth will require adaptation of all health services, including mental health, to the population growth rate, and in the area of ​​mental health we are in a difficult position at all levels, a fact that will continue and intensify in the coming years, especially after the events of October 7.

“Ma’ale Carmel” is a government mental health hospital serving a population of approximately 500,000 people in Haifa, Kiryat, Zebulon settlement and Carmel Coast. The center has seven inpatient and rehabilitation wards serving adolescents, adults and the elderly with a variety of illnesses or mental disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and severe personality disorders.

Ma’ale Carmel also has a school for students aged 12-21 who come from regular educational institutions and require hospitalization in the adolescent inpatient unit or day hospital unit. Regular and reservist soldiers are also treated in another ward dedicated to first-time hospitalizations.

In recent years, Professor Halbert, together with a professional management team, has led the development of the Rambam Medical College, which has included responding to emergencies in the form of the world’s largest protected underground hospital, the opening of a new protected children’s hospital, and specialized hospitals for the treatment of heart disease and cancer.

In view of his extensive experience, the Director General of the Ministry of Health, Moshe Bar Siman Tov, announced that in coordination with the Civil Service Commission, it was decided to appoint Professor Halbertal as the dean to promote professional cooperation between the Medical Center – for the sake of patients.

“I thank the Ministry of Health for this expression of confidence. We will do everything we can to provide a comprehensive, inclusive and multidisciplinary care package for people with intellectual disabilities,” Professor Halbert said.