A case in medicine: Is this how Clalit Health Insurance harasses family members of patients?

January 11, 2023   

For a year now, the Rambam branch of the Clalit Health Fund in the city of Netivot, where Elisheva is being treated, has not had a medicine called 'Pludict'. Because Elisheva needs the medicine she receives as part of her psychiatric treatment, her family member is sent to Clalit branches in Sderot, Beersheba, or to the Ganei Tal clinic located on the other side of the city of Netivot. The family member did this until about two weeks ago. She would travel to Sderot, to the Ganei Tal clinic - until she got tired of the hassle. This time, she insisted that the medicine for injection be delivered to the clinic at the Rambam branch, where her family member is being treated. However, Elisheva, who needs the medicine immediately, has not received it for two weeks now, because Clalit does not order the medicine from other clinics. They insist that her family member bring it on her own. The family member tells Haredim 10: "Elisheva has been treated for 22 years at Clalit Rambam Netivot, she is a very sick woman. She needs to receive the 'Pludict' injection once every two weeks. "But every time they don't have this injection, they don't have the substance to inject. They tell me to go to Sderot once every two weeks, to Be'er Sheva once every two weeks - to the other area in Netivot once every two weeks. Every two weeks they organize trips for me, and I've been on this difficult journey for a year. "But now for two weeks there has been no injection at Clalit Rambam Netivot. Who is responsible? I spoke to the Southern District customer service manager, who said: Go to the other side of Netivot to get the injection. "And I ask a simple question: If you can order at the Ganei Tal clinic, why can't you here at the Ganei Tal clinic? If there is a medicine there, why shouldn't there be a medicine here? Why is there a 'father and mother' there, and not here? Why is there no one responsible here? Who gets a salary as a pharmacy manager and doesn't do the work, and turns me into a Clalit delivery boy. This is urgent care!" Nurit, the clinic manager, says: You'll deal with the pharmacy manager. But they don't pick up the phone there... I contacted the Southern District, I told them that they don't pick up the phone at the pharmacy. Why do I have to keep calling, talking to the clinic manager? If there is the medicine in Sderot and in Ganei Tal in Netivot, then there should be one at the big clinic in Netivot too! "Each one throws the responsibility on the other, the clinic manager Nurit throws the responsibility on the pharmacy manager, in customer service they say, 'Go to Ganei Tal.' Who takes responsibility for helpless people, who send them to wander around, instead of having medication at the clinic. "I called everyone, I talked to everyone. I sent out public inquiries. No one treated them. A whole year!"" What happens when Elisheva doesn't get the shot? ""Her condition is the worst. The worst. She has a delay, also mentally, it's a human life. This is psychiatric treatment and she hasn't had it for 14 days, and there is no one at Clalit Rambam who would be responsible for ordering the medicine. They send me to different places. Why can't it just be ordered here? Why is the answer always that there is a shortage? Why is there no shortage in other Clalit clinics, but there has been a shortage at the Rambam clinic for a whole year?" Clalit Health Fund's response after the Haredim 10 website contacted her: "Our investigation shows that during the past year, January-December 2022, the medicine in question was supplied and dispensed at the pharmacy at the Rambam clinic in Netivot. "Due to medical confidentiality, we cannot expand, beyond the fact that the clinic is in continuous contact with the family's daughter and it was explained to her, upon her request, that due to the shortage, the medicine can be dispensed immediately at another pharmacy in the city or wait until the medicine arrives at the Rambam pharmacy today. Unfortunately, this offer was firmly refused. "The pharmacy team orders a stock of the drug in advance for all of its patients. However, due to a national shortage of the drug, we are facing delays, which are beyond our control, in its supply. Moreover, in order to provide a solution to patients, if there is a shortage, the pharmacy team makes sure to update the stock of the drug in nearby pharmacies where there is a stock and makes every effort to ensure that the drug is available on time. "We will continue to be at their disposal and provide a solution. We wish them good health." The family member said in response that she was not informed at all and was not offered that the drug would arrive at the Rambam Clinic today, and so far she has not been contacted by Clalit and the drug is not in the clinic's stock.