Health Rights

Every person receiving healthcare in Israel has the right to understand and be understood. Under the Patient Rights Act (1996), section 3, a medical institution is obliged to ensure that a patient can communicate effectively with medical staff — including through the use of an interpreter when necessary.

In practice: any Amharic-, Tigrinya-, English-, Arabic-, or other-language-speaking patient may request interpretation from their HMO, clinic, or hospital. The request can be verbal, but a written request is strongly recommended. Keep a record.

If refused: approach the medical officer-in-charge and request written documentation of the refusal. You may then file a complaint with the Ministry of Health Public Complaints Commissioner (dial 5400*) or through the Ministry website. This right applies equally to HMOs, clinics, and public hospitals.

Informed consent is the cornerstone of modern medicine. The Patient Rights Act (1996), chapter 4, establishes that every medical treatment, surgery, examination, or invasive procedure requires the patient's explicit consent — after receiving full, comprehensible information about the risks, benefits, alternatives, and consequences of non-treatment.

If you do not understand Hebrew, or did not understand the explanation, you have the full right to refuse signing and to demand a repeated explanation in a language you understand. Refusing to sign cannot be used as a reason to withhold urgent care.

Consent must be: (1) free — without coercion; (2) informed — after a comprehensible explanation; (3) competent — the presumption being that the patient is capable of understanding. For children under 16 or legally incompetent adults — parental or guardian consent is required.

Research has shown that women of Ethiopian descent carry a specific variant of the BRCA2 gene (p.Ser1813Ter) at a relatively elevated frequency. This mutation increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. In September 2025, the Ministry of Health added targeted testing to the standard health basket.

Who is eligible? Women of Ethiopian descent, at any age, can request a referral from their family physician for targeted genetic testing. Testing is carried out by accredited genetics institutes, and results are provided with genetic counselling.

What can be done with the results? Carriers are invited to an enhanced surveillance protocol — more frequent mammography and MRI, and the option of preventive surgery. All genetic information is fully confidential — insurance companies and employers may not demand access to it.

Israel operates anonymous HIV-testing centres in every health district. You can be tested without providing your name, with no identity documentation, and with no reporting to your HMO. Testing centres exist in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, Nazareth, Be'er Sheva, and elsewhere.

According to Ministry of Health guidelines, positive results are accompanied by post-test counselling and a treatment referral — with no obligation of immediate disclosure. The Penal Code provides that a person who knowingly engages in sexual intercourse without notifying their partner of HIV-positive status may incur criminal liability — though the legal discussion on this issue is complex and evolving.

Medical privacy: HIV-status information is protected under the Patient Rights Act and may absolutely not be passed to an employer, insurance company, the military, or any third party — without the patient's consent.

The Mental Health Treatment Act (1991) governs psychiatric hospitalisation in Israel. Hospitalisation is voluntary by default — the patient agrees and signs. Involuntary admission is possible only under defined conditions: the individual poses a danger to themselves or others, and their condition requires immediate hospitalisation.

An involuntary admission order may be issued by a district psychiatrist only. Patient rights: (1) to know why they are hospitalised; (2) to receive legal representation; (3) to appeal the order before a district court within 72 hours; (4) to refuse non-urgent medication unless a specific order has been issued; (5) to maintain contact with family and a lawyer.

For the Ethiopian community: psychiatric diagnosis must account for cultural context. Expressions of distress, cultural beliefs, and traditional healing practices are not in themselves grounds for hospitalisation.

The standard health basket includes a range of free preventive screening tests, provided by age and gender. The most relevant for the community:

Mammography: women aged 50–74 are entitled to a free mammogram every two years. Women with a family history of breast cancer (and especially BRCA2 carriers) — from an earlier age and at higher frequency, per physician guidance.

Colonoscopy: men and women aged 50–74 are entitled to a free colonoscopy every ten years, and/or an annual stool occult-blood test.

Blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose: part of the annual health visit — for all adults, added to the basket in 2021.

Note: these tests are free but require you to actively approach your HMO. Do not wait for the doctor to initiate — request them.

Every patient in Israel is entitled to request a second opinion from another doctor, without needing to give a reason. The Patient Rights Act (1996) explicitly states that medical-treatment decisions belong to the patient, and in order to make an informed decision they may consult an additional doctor.

How to exercise this right: (1) Ask your treating physician for copies of all medical documents — this is your right (Patient Rights Act, section 18). (2) Approach a further specialist — within the same HMO or externally. (3) Presenting a second opinion to the original doctor cannot be sanctioned.

Cost: HMOs cover specific consultations. External consultations may involve partial payment. For high-risk conditions — request an internal consultation first.

For community members: if you received a diagnosis that feels wrong, or if you did not understand the explanation — you have every right to seek a further specialist. Questions are always preferable to hasty decisions.