The Center for Health Policy Research in the Negev was established by the Department of Health Policy and Management in order to reduce avoidable health inequalities. The Center focuses on designing operative solutions to reduce health disparities between the country's center and the peripheries.
As part of its efforts to achieve this goal, the Center launched the annual “Mitzpe Ramon Conference for Health Equity in the Negev” in 2010. These annual conferences are results-oriented, aimed at arriving at workable solutions in areas such as manpower and infrastructure, regulatory mechanisms, public health interventions, community health and rehabilitation healthcare services, and are preceded by several months of preparations, involving ad-hoc working groups consisting of representatives from various stakeholders (academia, municipalities, Ministry of Health, HMOs, Israel Medical Association, public representatives and NGOs).
The Center is supported by the Faculty of Health Sciences at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the Merage Foundation and the Negev Development Authority, and has received grants from the Israel National Institute for Health Policy Research.
