Increasing Life Expectancy Israel has been a pioneer in the contemporary concept and practice of Public Health and as a result has one of the world's healthiest populations. The country's success in pursuing effective public health policies is reflected in the fact that a nation of immigrants , who have arrived during the past 50 years principally from Asia, North Africa, the former Soviet Union and Eastern and Central Europe, has one of the highest average life expectancies in the world. This has been accomplished despite the fact that Israel has absorbed Holocaust survivors and a large proportion of immigrants suffering from tuberculosis, malnutrition, heart disease and every type of cancer. Israeli women live longer than men, with a life expectancy of 79.9 years, but do not fare as well in international statistical comparisons since the average woman in the EU lives 80.7 years.
Statistics are also impressive for births.
Infant mortality in Israel is 6.2 per 1,000 live births for female babies and 7.5 per 1,000 live births for males. In fact, public health was a more popular concept in the 19th century when physicians realized that matters such as sewage amenities, cleanliness and a balanced diet would improve the health of the population. But as sanitary and dietary conditions improved and with such medical discoveries as penicillin in the 20th century, much less emphasis was placed on public health. International Community Acknowledges Importance of Public Health Public health returned to the global agenda in 1975 at the WHO meeting in Alma Ata, Kazakhstan, in the former Soviet Union. Leading health officials from every country in the world signed a covenant proclaiming that the health of the people and the provision of medical services must be the responsibility of national governments.