Salman Zarka ( ar, سلمان الزرقا, he, סלמאן זרקא) is a
Druze-Israeli physician and the Director of
Ziv Medical Center in
Safed, reservist of The
Israel Defense Forces in the rank of Colonel, senior lecturer at the Faculty of Social Welfare and Health in the School of Public Health of
Haifa University
The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming I ...
and senior lecturer in the Department of Military Medicine in the military doctors top track of
Hebrew University in Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
. In 2019, Dr. Zarka was selected as one of 12 torch-lighters at the annual
Independence Day ceremony on
Mount Herzl
Mount Herzl ( he, הַר הֶרְצְל ''Har Hertsl''), also ''Har ha-Zikaron'' ( lit. "Mount of Remembrance"), is the site of Israel's national cemetery and other memorial and educational facilities, found on the west side of Jerusalem beside ...
in Jerusalem.
As of July 2021, he has been serving as
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
's
COVID czar.
Early life
Salman Zarka was born in 1964 in
Peki'in
Peki'in (alternatively Peqi'in) ( he, פְּקִיעִין) or Buqei'a ( ar, البقيعة), is a Druze–Arab town with local council status in Israel's Northern District. It is located eight kilometres east of Ma'alot-Tarshiha in the Uppe ...
, Israel, to a large
Druze family.
In 1982 he began his studies at the School of Medicine in Technion, Haifa, as part of Academic Reserve military program (Atuda).
Military service
After receiving his MD degree he started his military service which lasted over 25 years. Dr. Zarka served as a doctor in an Armored Battalion of the
401st Brigade and as the brigade's medical officer. He served as a doctor in the
36th Division (Ga'ash Formation) and as Head of the military health branch at the Chief Medical Officer headquarters. At 2008 he was promoted to the rank of Colonel and was appointed as Medical Commander of the
Northern Command during the tenure of
Gadi Eizenkot
Gadi Eisenkot or Eizenkot ( he, גדי איזנקוט; born 19 May 1960) was the 21st Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (16 February 2015 – 15 January 2019). He is the originator of the so-called Dahiya doctrine.
Biography ...
as the commanding officer. In 2013 he was appointed as the Commander of the IDF Center for Medical Services and the Head of Health Department in the
Medical Corps
A medical corps is generally a military branch or officer corps responsible for medical care for serving military personnel. Such officers are typically military physicians.
List of medical corps
The following organizations are examples of medica ...
. In March 2013 he founded and commanded the operation of a field hospital on the
Israel-Syria border for the treatment of wounded victims of the
Syrian Civil War.
Academic
Zarka has a master's degree in epidemiology and public health from the
Hebrew University
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine, he is a graduate of the
National Security College, and has a master's degree in political science and national security from the
University of Haifa
The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming ...
. Serves as a senior lecturer in the Department of Military Medicine at the Hebrew University and as a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Social Welfare and Health in the School of Public Health of Haifa University. At the last year, Dr. Zarka teaches at the Faculty of Medicine at
Bar Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic i ...
.
Dr. Zarka has two specialties: one in the field of public health and the other one in the field of medical management, in which he gained vast experience while serving as an assistant to the Director General of the Ministry of Health, Prof.
Ronni Gamzu. In this capacity he led the "Rest in Dignity" program (the purpose of which was to provide dignified burial to the samples remaining at forensic pathology institute at Abu Kabir) and project of medical services upgrade across hospitals in northern Israel (Nahariya, Poria and Ziv) as part of establishment of Safed Medical School.
Medical services
At the time of the IDF Operation Protective Edge, during which he served as Commander of the IDF Center for Medical Services, Dr. Zarka managed the provision of medical services to the soldiers in the operation area, treatment of hospitalized soldiers and the establishment of military hospital in the Erez Crossing intended to provide assistance for the Gaza Strip citizens.
In 2014, while serving as the Commander of the IDF Center for Medical Services, he suddenly decided to end his military career (although at that time he was a leading candidate for the position of Surgeon General) and to run for the position of the Director of Ziv Medical Center in Safed. He assumed this new role in December 2014. The beginning of his work was followed by a lawsuit filed by doctors who competed against him for the position and lost the tender. The lawsuit alleged that the Civil Service Commissioner was not authorized to approve the late tender application submitted by Dr. Zarka following his participation in Operation Protective Edge. The lawsuit was discussed at the Labour Court, where it was decided to hold a repeated tender, in which Dr. Zarka again won the position of Director of Ziv Medical Center.
In recent years, Ziv Medical Center has prospered and enjoyed rapid growth, improving the medical services for residents of northern Israel and providing appropriate medical solutions for patients in the periphery without the need to travel long distances. Ziv Medical Center faces another challenge related to preparedness for emergency situations. During the Second Lebanon War, about 1500 wounded patients were treated at the hospital - both soldiers and citizens of the state. In addition, it suffered a direct hit by a rocket.
In 2016, a Child Health Center was opened within the facility. The Center is located in a reinforced building, comprehensively addresses the needs of northern residents, and is designed to provide initial assistance in emergency events.
Under the direction of Dr. Zarka, Ziv hospital continues to lead the humanitarian treatment of wounded in Syrian civil war. About 800 patients were treated at Ziv Medical Center from 2013 to 2016, as part of the Israeli humanitarian aid to Syrian citizens.
Publications
Dr. Zarka is publishing a medical book ''Complicated War Trauma and Care of the Wounded'', based on the experience of the Ziv Medical Center.
See also
*
Operation Good Neighbor
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zarka, Salman
1964 births
Living people
Bar-Ilan University faculty
Arab-Israeli physicians
Hebrew University-Hadassah Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine alumni
Hebrew University of Jerusalem faculty
Israeli military doctors
Israeli Druze
People of the Syrian civil war
University of Haifa alumni
University of Haifa faculty
Arab citizens of Israel
Druze people