General Healthcare Rights

This portal provides information about general patients' rights that are relevant in all parts of the healthcare system, such as the right to medical confidentiality, maintaining patient dignity, and more.

What exactly are the rights to which a medical patient is entitled? The rights of those requiring medical treatment are defined in the Patient's Rights Law. The law provides patients with rights and places obligations on medical care providers (including hospitals, clinics, doctors, nurses and other medical professionals).

See also…

• Health and Illness
• Health Plans - Community Medicine (Kupot Cholim)
• Health-Related Employee Rights
• זכויות בריאות כלליות

Health Insurance

• Health Insurance
• Paying Health Insurance Contributions
• Exemption from Paying Health Insurance Contributions
• Health Insurance for Foreign Workers
• Health Insurance for Non-Resident Children in Israel
• Additional Health Services (Supplementary Insurance)
• Funding Medical Treatment Abroad
• Health Insurance Guide on the Capital Market, Insurance and Savings Authority website

Medical Care

• Maintaining Patient Dignity and Privacy During Medical Treatment
• Receiving Information About Healthcare Professionals
• Additional Medical Opinions
• Receiving Emergency Medical Care
• Presence of a Chaperone During Medical Treatment
• Presence of a Family Member or Other Person During Medical Examinations
• Presence of a Family Member During Physical Examinations and Medical Treatment of Minors

Complaints

• Appealing Non-Provision of Medical Services
• Submitting a Complaint to the National Health Insurance Law Ombudsman
• Submitting a Complaint to the Health Fund
• Appealing to the Health Plan Exceptions Committee
• Submitting a Complaint to a Hospital
• Submitting a complaint to the Ministry of Health in case of suspected malpractice
• Submitting a complaint to the Ministry of Health regarding a medical professional

Patient Autonomy

• Informed Consent for Medical Treatment
• Disclosure of Information to Patients for Purposes of Obtaining Informed Consent
• Translation and Interpreting Services for Patients in the Healthcare System
• Power of Attorney for Medical Treatment
• Appointing a Guardian for a Patient
• Guardianship of Children
• Medical Care Minors May Receive without Parental Consent
• Food for vegetarians and vegans in Hospital

Medical Information

• Sharing and Transfer of Information Regarding Patients between the Health Insurance Plans and the Hospitals
• Documentation of Medical Information
• Keeping Medical Records
• Reviewing Medical Records
• Reviewing Medical Records of Someone who is Deceased
• Obtaining Information from the Medical Record
• Obtaining Medical Information for Minors
• Disclosing Medical Information to a Patient's Family
• Disclosing Medical Information to Others

Medical Confidentiality

• Maintaining Medical Confidentiality
• Waiving Medical Confidentiality
• Waiving Medical Confidentiality for a Minor
• Request to Cancel Transfer of Medical Information from a Health Plan to a Hospital

Aid organizations

• The Mazor Clinical Center - Providing legal advice regarding patients rights in Israel
• The Society for Patients Rights in Israel
• Haverim L'Refuah (Friends for Health) - Assistance in finding and purchasing medications
• Physicians for Human Rights - Israel
• The Dolev Foundation for Medical Justice
• Kivunim - Information Center for Patients and their Families
• For a comprehensive list of health and illness aid organizations

Government agencies

• The Ministry of Health
• The National Health Insurance Law Ombudsman
• The National Insurance Institute

Laws & Regulations

• The National Health Insurance Law
• The Patient's Rights Law
• List of laws the Minister of Health is responsible to carry out from the Ministry of Health website

Credits

• Original translation performed by The Shira Pransky Project as part of a grant from The Fellowship Fund.