Clean bill of health for Netanyahu after annual check-up

‘The prime minister maintains a healthy lifestyle and a proper diet.’

By JNS

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a clean bill of health after undergoing an emergency cardiac procedure earlier this year, the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem announced on Sunday following the routine annual checkups by his medical team.

“During the past year, [the prime minister] underwent annual routine examinations without any unusual findings,” said a letter signed by Netanyahu’s personal physician, Dr. Tzvi Berkovitz, and Prof. Alon Pikarsky, head of surgery at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center.

“The prime minister maintains a healthy lifestyle and a proper diet. The state of his health is completely normal,” added the physicians.

A separate note from Sheba Medical Center (Tel HaShomer) in Ramat Gan touched upon the condition of Netanyahu’s heart, noting that the premier was outfitted with a cardiac pacemaker several months ago.

“The pacemaker implanted in his body is working properly, the electrical indicators are within the norm, he is not dependent on the pacemaker, and no unusual incidents have been recorded,” wrote Prof. Roy Beinart, director of Sheba’s Arrhythmia Institute.

“From a cardiac point of view, the prime minister is completely stable and does not need additional treatment besides routine monitoring,” said Beinart.

In October 2022, the 73-year-old Netanyahu spent a night at the hospital under medical observation due to chest pains that began while he was attending Yom Kippur synagogue services.

In July of this year, he was hospitalized again after briefly losing consciousness in his private home in Caesarea.

After being discharged, Sheba released a statement indicating that “at no point was any heart rhythm disorder diagnosed.” However, as a matter of routine, doctors decided to implant a Holter monitor to allow his medical team to continue regular monitoring. The device, also known as a cardiac event recorder, is implanted under the skin of the chest or shoulder. It is commonly used if a patient experiences an unexplained stroke, fainting, or irregular heartbeat.

A week later, Netanyahu underwent a cardiac pacemaker implantation procedure due to the recorder indicating an “alert,” with Sheba saying the prime minister likely suffered a transient heart block. “We received the data from this monitor that suggests [a] transient atrioventricular block, and this was an indication for urgent pacemaker implantation,” said Beinart at the time.

According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, Netanyahu has been monitored for a heart conduction problem “for 20 years… not a life-threatening condition but a chronic one.”