“WHAT DO THE IRON DOME AND HOSPITAL PATIENTS HAVE IN COMMON?”

Despite challenges, Israel is an international superpower in healthcare fields like emergency medicine and digital health. So Hagai Dror, Healthcare Israel, Managing Director thought: Why don't we use Israel's security forces' successful model? We can develop groundbreaking solutions for other countries, implement them here too and earn money.

Hospital overcrowding, large budget gaps – the challenges in the healthcare system are familiar to all of us. But the system also has a world of expertise and excellence, areas where we lead the rest of the world. Hagai Dror understood: This could be worth a lot of money.

Hagai got his inspiration from the Iron Dome. “I sat with senior officials in the security forces,” Hagai recounts. “Their needs were vast but their budget was limited, so they sought a creative solution. They looked for countries seeking groundbreaking technology. We develop, they pay, and the money helps continue development in Israel.” The Iron Dome is a product of the cooperation between the Israeli government and other governments that needed a missile interception system.

Hagai had an “aha” moment. “I realized we could implement this model in the healthcare system – let’s sell Israeli knowledge and healthcare solutions.” Healthcare Israel was born as a start-up within the government. They started by advancing inter-governmental agreements in the field of health, with an emphasis on digital health and emergency preparedness.

“Unfortunately, we’re used to wars and terror attacks,” Hagai explains. “There is a lot of knowledge, technology and tools for emergency preparedness. Other countries are looking for them.” In digital health, according to Hagai, “there’s consensus that Israel is among the world’s most advanced countries – if not the leading country. We can offer a comprehensive solution – a package deal of outlook, training, information systems, equipment and instrumentation.”

Currently, an agreement between the government of Israel and a district in China for an emergency system for tens of millions of dollars is in the advanced stages of negotiations. “Israel will export an integrative solution
to China – from comprehensive training for thousands of staff in the Chinese healthcare system and the Chinese counterpart of Magen David Adom, to advanced information systems and technology for a control and
monitoring center for management and synchronization of activities through medical equipment.

In the field of digital health, Denmark, which is actually considered one of the five leading countries in digitization in the world, comes to learn from Israel and conduct joint projects. In Brazil, a central district is interested in implementing a smart digital management system to synchronize between clinics and doctors, providing information and making services for patients
more efficient.

Healthcare Israel operates on a multi-sectoral model: The Ministry of Health, Health Organizations (HMOs, Hospitals, Magen David Adom and others), and industry. All benefit: The Ministry of Health receives budget
and develops new tools and products, industry gets exposure to new markets.

“This start-up will help us develop future capacities, things we could only fantasize about previously. It will come from external financing and not at the expense of a piece of the small budget pie” says Hagai. “We
are not delusional and don’t expect this to bring in all of the lacking resources but I do believe that this will lead to significant developments and increase Israel’s international partnerships. We can work with
the United Nations in areas that require healthcare investment and improve our standing in the world.”