Israeli Health Ministry Report Reveals Wide Hospital Infection Rate Disparities

The Israeli Ministry of Health released a report on Thursday highlighting that approximately 1,319 deaths were prevented last year due to effective treatment of hospital infections. However, the report also reveals significant disparities among hospitals in Israel regarding infection control across various departments. The ongoing conflict with Iran, which forced hospitals to operate from protected zones, complicated efforts to reduce infection risks. Professor Yehuda Carmeli, head of the National Center for Infection Prevention, noted that in some hospitals infection outbreaks worsened, sometimes only becoming apparent after patients were moved out of protected areas.

The report compared bloodstream infection rates, a serious complication in intensive care units (ICUs), across hospitals. The English Hospital in Nazareth, Laniado, Shamir Medical Center, and Soroka performed best, while Shaare Zedek, Beilinson, Sheba, Hadassah Ein Kerem, and Meir had the highest infection rates. Another key metric was infections linked to central venous catheters, which are largely preventable with strict protocol adherence. Several hospitals, including the English Hospital, Soroka, Kaplan, Poriya, Yoseftal, Galilee Medical Center, and Bnei Zion, reported zero catheter-related infections in 2025. Conversely, Hadassah Ein Kerem ranked worst nationally in this category, followed by Meir, Maayani Hesed, Beilinson, Rambam, Shaare Zedek, and Sharon Medical Center.

While adult departments showed improvement over the years, neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) have seen stagnant infection rates. The national target for catheter infections in NICUs is stringent at 0.9 cases per 1,000 catheter days. Several NICUs, including Wolfson, Hillel Yaffe, Galilee Medical Center, Bnei Zion, Emek, Carmel, Ziv, Poriya, and Laniado, reported zero cases. However, hospitals in Nazareth, as well as major centers like Rambam, Barzilai, Shamir, and Hadassah Ein Kerem, significantly exceeded this target.

Urinary tract infection rates in internal medicine wards also varied widely. Hadassah Mount Scopus led with the lowest rates, followed by Meir, Wolfson, Barzilai, and Laniado. Smaller hospitals such as Yoseftal, the English Hospital in Nazareth, and Holy Family Hospital in Nazareth reported zero cases. Kaplan, Shaare Zedek, Galilee Medical Center, and Sheba were at the bottom of this list. The report also touched on broader healthcare challenges, including resource shortages, treatment delays, serious failures in rehabilitation services, and a suspected outbreak of Kawasaki disease among children in the Sharon region.