Legal Action & Complaints in the Healthcare System
Legal issues, rights and obligations are just as much an integral part of the healthcare system as the insurance and treatment options available within it.
Many people might be quick to pursue legal action if they think their rights have been violated, but this is almost never the best course of action. It is recommended that you 1) Understand your rights, 2) Submit formal complaints to the relevant parties, 3) Seek out legal aid and advice if necessary.
Step 1: Understanding Your Rights
Many of the resources we offer provide information on health-related rights and entitlements. You should check out our All Rights Index for a comprehensive collection of this information.
- Information about the most basic healthcare rights can be found on this "General Healthcare Rights" page. Health-related employment rights can be found here.
- Social workers in the kupot cholim, hospitals and other institutions and organizations are invaluable resources for getting basic advice related to rights and services.
- Assistance and support organizations catering to specific population and focusing on specific illnesses or disorders are also great resources for more specialized expertise on rights. If you have diabetes, for example, an organization focusing on providing support for diabetes patients should be consulted. Check out our Organizations Directory where you can search and browse hundreds of health-related assistance and support organizations in Israel, by clicking here.
Step 2: Where to Complain
Every public healthcare institution and organization in Israel is required to have an ombudsman - the address for complaints within that institution or organization. For more information on complaints and appeals, check out the following pages:
- Appealing Non-Provision of Medical Services - If you feel that you have not been provided the proper or required treatment
- Submitting a Complaint to the National Health Insurance Law Ombudsman - If you feel your rights in accordance with the National Insurance Law have been violated
- Submitting a Complaint to the Health Plan
- 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
Step 3: Legal Aid and Advice
If you think your rights have been violated and legal action might be necessary, there are a number of sources of free and subsidized legal aid and advice. The Shira Pransky Project does not provide any direct legal aid or advice and aims to provide the most comprehensive resources available to better understand your legal health-related rights, claim them, and know who to contact in order to request free or subsidized legal aid when necessary.
- Our searchable and browseable Organizations Directory contains a comprehensive listing of organizations offering free or subsidized legal aid and/or advising services including the following:
- Bar Ilan University Disability Rights Legal Aid Clinic
- Mazor Clinical Center – Legal Aid for Patients’ Rights
- All Rights
- Dolev Foundation for Medical Justice
- The MARAP Clinic – Law, Medicine and Psychiatry
- Assistance and support organizations catering to specific population and focusing on specific illnesses or disorders are also great resources for more specialized expertise on rights and potential sources for reliable legal advice. If you have diabetes, for example, an organization focusing on providing support for diabetes patients should be consulted. Check out our Organizations Directory where you can search and browse hundreds of health-related assistance and support organizations in Israel, by clicking here.
Not familiar with The Shira Pransky Project?
The Shira Pransky Project was founded to help English speakers in Israel better navigate the Israeli healthcare system and make use of the rights and services that are out there.
To your health ! לבריאות
