Rights Hotline — Neeman and the Society for Patients’ Rights in Israel
Working in collaboration with the Society for Patients’ Rights in Israel, Neeman is here to provide important and relevant information for stroke victims, their families and the general public, as well as a sympathetic ear, counseling and support in accessing their rights.
- Providing stroke victims and their families counseling and someone to talk to about the challenges of dealing with the consequences of stroke.
- Providing stroke victims and their families information about accessing their rights from various institutions as patients and people with disabilities.
- Counseling at the stage of accessing rights when needed.
- Providing information to the general public on matters related to prevention and patients’ rights.
Operating hours of the information and support hotline:
Phone number: 03-6022934
Sunday-Thursday 09:00-14:00
You can also receive assistance and support by email or by filling out the contact form:
[email protected]
Find more information on the Society for Patients’ Rights in Israel, see their website here
Ministry of Health — Kol Habriut
The Ministry of Health operates a telephone call center, Kol Habriut, that provides support and information to the general public on medical rights issues and all other areas for which the Ministry of Health is responsible.
The hotline offers information on medical devices and equipment, requests for rehabilitation and mobility devices, hospitalization in long-term care institutions, making appointments, the National Health Insurance Law, medical and rehabilitation rights, and more.
The service is free and available in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, English, French and Amharic
Contact:
- By phone: *5400 or 08-6241010
- By email: [email protected]
- By filling out the online form on the website (in Hebrew)
Operating hours:
Sunday-Thursday 08:00-18:00
Fridays and holiday eves 08:00-13:00
Find more information on the Kol Habriut website here.
In addition, the Ministry of Health runs a useful online service, “Call Habriut”, which you can use to compare different medical rights at different HMOs. Access the service here (in Hebrew).
Ministry of Health “Health Rights Centers” at hospitals or the rights centers of the hospitals themselves
In Israel there are centers to help patients access their rights at several hospitals around the country, run by the Ministry of Health or the hospitals themselves. These centers help patients access their health rights from the healthcare system, government ministries, the National Insurance Institute and local authorities. They provide information about the rights of patients and their families and offer assistance in submitting applications and filling out forms, help with the various institutions, and follow-up and support until the patients have received their rights in full.
The service is provided free of charge and operates in conjunction with social services and sometimes additional bodies.
Contact details and more information about rights centers in Israel and the bodies that run them can be found on the Ministry of Health website here.
Yechidot Segula — the Ministry for Social Equality
The “Yechidot Segula” (“Segula” units) run by the Ministry for Social Equality also operate within hospitals around the country. These units provide information about healthcare and rehabilitation rights to hospitalized senior citizens (men over 67 and women over 62) and their family members.
The units are operated by trained volunteers, who help hospitalized patients learn about their rights as senior citizens.
Yechidot Segula provide information about the rights pertinent to the hospitalization period and those that become significant afterward, during the rehabilitation period and the return home — including rights related to hospitals, HMOs, the National Insurance Institute etc. Moreover, emphasis is placed on matters such as the long-term care benefit, Holocaust survivors’ rights, and the rights of patients’ family members.
Ways of getting in touch:
You can check if there is a center in the relevant hospital here (in Hebrew), or call *8840.
The National Insurance Institute’s “Helping Hand” Centers
Via a private company, the National Insurance Institute runs a free guidance and counseling service to help people prepare for the NII’s medical boards.
The service is provided by a professional team of doctors specializing in different fields such as internal medicine and occupational therapy.
The service includes:
- Explanations of medical board processes.
- Help preparing a medical file for the board.
- Personal guidance about conduct and appearing before the board.
You can receive assistance by phone or schedule a video call or in-person meeting.
To schedule: *2496
The local authorities whose National Insurance Institute branches have a Helping Hand service are:
Ashdod, Beer Sheva, Holon, Haifa, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Netanya and Petah Tikva. The addresses and contact details of specific branches can be found here.
The National Insurance Institute’s “Counseling Service for the Elderly and Their Families”
The National Insurance Institute’s “Counseling Service for the Elderly and Their Families” operates a free informational call center that provides support in the following matters:
- Access to National Insurance Institute rights.
- Information on rights and services in the community.
- Counselling on other issues relevant to older people.
- Someone to talk to and personal support.
You can contact the National Insurance Institute branch nearest your area of residence (find a list of branches here) or by calling one of the following phone numbers, listed by language:
- Hebrew: 02-6463400
- Arabic: 02-6463401
- Russian: 02-6463402
- Amharic: 02-6463403
- English: 02-6463404
Find more details and information about other services operated by the Counseling Service for the Elderly and Their Families, here on the National Insurance Institute website.
HMO Social Services
Healthcare institutions of all kinds, both inpatient and in the community, provide social assistance and welfare services and employ social workers who offer counseling and support to patients and their families.
The services offered include:
- Emotional support in coping with the functional and familial changes that accompany disability, illness or loss.
- Help preparing to return home from the hospital.
- Information about rights and challenges that can be expected in the future.
- Recruiting support systems.
- Help accessing financial and social rights.
- Support groups.
- In special cases — financial assistance.
More information and contact details can be found on the HMO websites (in Hebrew):
