The State Comptroller's Office published last night (Monday 25/10/20) a special report on the State of Israel's handling of the Corona crisis, with the aim of giving operational tools to the decision makers and improving the government's work at this time. The interim findings will be integrated into a comprehensive report concerning the handling of the Israeli government With the corona crisis expected to be published during the year 2021.
Among the topics published in the report submitted by the State Comptroller and Public Complaints Ombudsman Matanyahu Engelman to the Speaker of the Knesset:
- Activating the technological capabilities of the General Security Service to assist the Ministry of Health in conducting epidemiological investigations in the fight against Corona.
- Computing infrastructures for distance learning and alternative learning spaces during the Corona crisis.
- Aspects of the Tax Authority's activity during the Corona period.
- The set of samples and laboratory tests for corona diagnosis.
- Epidemiological investigations to break the chain of infection with the corona virus.
- The treatment of senior citizens staying in out-of-home institutions during the Corona crisis.
- Medicine in the community during the outbreak of the corona epidemic.
- The government's treatment of the unemployed and those seeking work in the Corona crisis - interim findings, published on September 10, 2020.
Matanyahu Engelman - State Comptroller • On the report on the State of Israel's handling of the Corona crisis
Shortcomings in granting grants that the government decided on
Difficulty in providing a quick and efficient response
The review on the subject Aspects of the activities of the Tax Authority during the Corona crisis She revealed that despite the early and rapid preparation of the Tax Authority for regular functioning during the Corona crisis, the authority's customer service had difficulty providing an efficient and quick response to those who contacted it. Deficiencies also emerged in the manner of granting the grants decided upon by the government. It is recommended that the Tax Authority work to correct the deficiencies, in order to improve its preparation for work in the shadow of the Corona crisis, and that in preparation for continuing to deal with the epidemic, it will periodically examine the economic damage to certain industries and businesses and, accordingly, assist in consolidating relief for these industries and businesses.
Many are sent to isolation unnecessarily
did not fulfill the task in full
in a review on the subject Activating the Shin Bet's technological capabilities to assist the Ministry of Health in conducting epidemiological investigations in the fight against Corona, It emerged that the tools used by the service did not allow it to fulfill the task assigned to it in full, and the products of its activity reflected the potential of many people entering isolation, including many who were not in close contact with a patient.
Considering the totality of the audit findings, it is recommended that the Shin Bet's findings be proactively integrated into a thorough and in-depth epidemiological investigation, by questioning the patient. In addition, there is a place for the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Intelligence, with the assistance of the National Security Agency, to work to effectively implement alternative digital means to locate the Shin Bet. about.
The sub-committee of the State Audit Committee of the Knesset decided to impose confidentiality on parts of the state auditor's report on this subject, in order to maintain the security of the state, in accordance with section 17 of the State Auditor Law, 1958 [combined version].
Urgently complete the mapping of end devices and the establishment of an Internet connection in the students' and teachers' homes
Examine the use of open spaces outside the school
from the interim findings on the subject The computing infrastructure for distance learning and alternative learning spaces during the Corona crisis: The State Comptroller recommends that the Ministry of Education urgently complete a mapping of end devices and establish a connection to the network (Internet) in the homes of the students and teachers, and work for the urgent supply of end devices to students and teachers who do not have these devices, among other things, by regulating the involvement of the third sector in distributing computers to students in need. It is also recommended to examine the increase in the use of open environmental spaces outside the schools for the purpose of learning and meetings at this time.
36% of all deaths from Corona until October 2020 - nursing home residents
Increase the number of tests on weekends
The review on the subject The treatment of senior citizens staying in out-of-home institutions during the Corona crisis, revealed that in April 2020, 71,100 senior citizens lived in out-of-home institutions, and that the proportion of the residents of these institutions among all those who died from Corona until October 2020 was 36%.
The Comptroller's Office recommends that the Ministry of Health examine, with a comprehensive view, the various ways to isolate residents in institutions, as a solution to curbing the rate of infection in them. He further recommended that the ministry examine the possibility of increasing the number of tests taken from the residents and employees of these institutions on weekends, since, according to data from August 2020, on these days the number of tests performed on the general population was more than 50% less than on other days.
He also recommended that the Ministry of Health examine whether it is possible to make better use of the possibility of admitting senior citizens with corona in the corona wards of the geriatric hospitals.
By August, about 2 million corona tests were performed in Israel
Analyze the causes of incorrect test results
On the subject The set of samples and laboratory tests for corona diagnosis, It was brought up that in the State of Israel there are 40 laboratories for corona tests; The average number of tests from mid-July to mid-August 2020 was about 25,000 tests per day. By 9/8/20, about 2 million corona tests were performed in Israel.
In view of the findings in this chapter, the auditor recommended that the Ministry of Health examine ways to optimize and shorten the testing processes and complete the data on the sampling and testing procedures times in full, instruct quality tests to be performed in the sampling phase, analyze the causes of the incorrect results of the tests and work to reduce these results.
Also, the Ministry of Health should consider instructing that treatment and medical teams that come into contact with corona patients or at-risk populations be periodically tested to identify the virus. It is appropriate that the Ministry of Health examines alternatives to the use of the Styrofoam packaging used to transport the tests which pollute the environment.
A 50% decrease in physical visits to clinics
Preventing patients from coming to the clinic put their lives at risk
in a review on the subject Medicine in the community during the outbreak of the corona virus It was brought up that there is a 50% decrease in physical visits to clinics in March-April 2020, compared to January-February of the same year. The medical condition of some of the patients was serious, and by refusing to go to community clinics and hospitals, they risked their lives.
It was also found that 3.4 million flu vaccine doses had been ordered, and that at the beginning of September 2020, the preparations for administering the vaccines had not yet been completed. In order to ensure that as large a population as possible will be vaccinated against influenza and that the vaccinations will be given in a timely and safe manner, the auditor recommends formulating an orderly plan for the administration of the vaccines, that the Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the professional unions in the Israel Medical Association, will hold a procedure for drawing lessons from the experience gained so far in the field of remote medicine, and will work to preserve The capabilities that developed during the corona epidemic, for the purpose of developing and implementing rules relevant to normal times in preparation for the outbreak of additional waves, should they occur.
The system of epidemiological investigations was found to be ineffective
Four days after the diagnosis
The review on the subject Epidemiological investigations for the purpose of breaking the chains of infection with the corona virus She revealed that during the audit period (May-August 2020) the Ministry of Health did not have an effective system for quality management of the set of epidemiological investigations. In a random sample of 76 investigations conducted in June and July 2020 in the Jerusalem district, it was found that approximately 64% of them began four days or more after the diagnosis, although the effective time period for their existence is 24-48 hours from the date of receiving a positive result of a laboratory test until the end of the investigation.
It was also found that the investigations were recorded in manual forms that are entered into the investigation management system at a later stage, and that some of the data were entered using a free text method and not as a "smart" computerized form in which selected data is entered from a list. Also, even after increasing the number of epidemiological researchers, in September 2020 their rate in Israel was still smaller than their rate in other countries.
Constructive criticism aimed at the challenges of the future
This report reflects the vision of the State Comptroller and his goals, including the performance of a constructive, relevant, objective and respectful audit, which aims at the challenges of the future, improves the activities of the audited bodies, promotes the fulfillment of their mission and increases the benefit that the public can derive from their activities: the audit focuses on social issues , including the service to the citizen, and the essential risks that affect the activity of the audited bodies, and works to inculcate norms of propriety in the procedures of government and public administration and of the purity of morals.
The audit whose findings are presented in this report was carried out by the Social and Welfare Audit Division, the National Economy and Infrastructure Audit Division and the Security System Audit Division at the State Comptroller's Office. My thanks go to the employees of these divisions as well as to the other employees of the office who were involved in writing the report, for their professional, thorough work , effective and on a short schedule, especially during the days of the outbreak of the corona virus.
The audited entities must act quickly and efficiently to correct the deficiencies that have not yet been corrected in order to improve their continued dealing with the Corona crisis.