Israel’s Healthcare Paradox: Prof. Kreiss on Growth Through Adversity

Prof. Yitshak Kreiss shared insights at the Globes Israel Business 32nd Conference on how Israel’s entrepreneurial spirit sustained operations, accelerated collaboration, and transformed necessity into innovation and economic growth during challenging times.

How does a nation facing historic difficulties still generate growth? Prof. Kreiss describes this as Israel’s healthcare paradox, powered by cultural entrepreneurialism. Over two challenging years, the system demonstrated remarkable resilience: rapidly transferring hospital operations to fortified areas, expanding rehabilitation capacity overnight, and achieving a 99.55% survival rate across thousands of complex cases. Kreiss states:

“…We’re talking about a system where the survival rate in our hospitals is above 99%. That means that if you arrived alive at an Israeli hospital, during a crisis, your chance of leaving alive was over 99%.”

This expertise draws international delegations seeking Israel’s hospital emergency preparedness strategies for maintaining care continuity under pressure.

Healthcare Drives Economic Expansion

Israel’s healthcare system uniquely fuels economic growth through ARC, Sheba’s innovation arm. Nearly 120 companies, either founded at Sheba or through open collaboration, now hold a combined $5.8 billion valuation, adding $1.6 billion since 2023 despite challenging conditions.

Strategic Global and Local Partnerships

A landmark NVIDIA and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai partnership exemplifies this approach, using AI to decode the 98% of the human genome yet unexplored. NVIDIA provides computational power, Mount Sinai contributes genome datasets, and Sheba adds clinical/research expertise for breakthroughs unattainable alone.

“In Israeli healthcare, we have thousands upon thousands of physicians and researchers. We have data; we have advanced infrastructure, some of the most advanced in the world. We have patients; we have boldness; we have chutzpah; we have an Israeli ecosystem built on a startup mentality. We have global networks—the world works with us.”

Locally, post-October 7 momentum accelerated the Advanced Smart Hospital in the Negev, partnering with HMOs Leumit and Meuhedet. Leveraging the ARC Innovation Center, Sheba integrates digital solutions to close southern Israel’s healthcare gaps.

Crisis Accelerates Medical Innovation

Prof. Kreiss sees a turning point:

“Medicine hasn’t fundamentally changed how we deliver care since Hippocrates. AI can truly change that.”

Crisis broke conservative barriers: “In times of crisis, barriers are falling a bit. People are thinking differently. Over the past two years I’ve experienced less resistance, more belief, and more willingness to advance, because they (doctors) understand we can’t continue as before.”

Hope as Strategic Resilience

No system emerges stronger from crisis without hope, Prof. Kreiss emphasizes. Israel’s strategic optimism, that tomorrow can improve, fuels investment in continuity and innovation amid uncertainty. This mindset, combining morale, leadership, and forward momentum, represents Israel’s greatest resilience advantage.