Israeli Doctor Chosen to Head World Medical Association

Dr. Leonid Eidelman, chairman of the Israel Medical Association, was voted to head the World Medical Association at its most recent meeting in October. Eidelman, who heads the anesthesiology department at the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva, was one of two finalists for the job, beating out contender Dr. Heikki Palve of Finland with 98 votes to the Finnish physician’s 43. Eidelman will take office in a year to serve as president in 2018/19.

Eidelman has held several positions in the organization, which was established in 1947. The body sets policy for physicians worldwide, provides assistance in emergencies, and sponsors courses for physicians. In this year’s meeting, it updated the Hippocratic Oath that doctors usually take when they are granted their degrees.

In a statement, the Israel Medical Association congratulated Eidelman, saying that “Israel is often under attack in international forums, replete with threats to ban Israeli doctors from international organizations. It is thus very important that an Israeli doctor was chosen to lead the WMA, the most important organizational post in the medical world.”