Economic distress reaches the medicine cabinet: surge in requests for assistance

The 'Friends for Medicine' organization reports an approximately 20% increase in requests for medication assistance in the year 5786. Over 7,000 patients rely on the organization each month. The value of distributed medications rose by about 8% compared to the previous year, reaching approximately 152 million shekels.

The 'Friends for Medicine' organization reports a surge of approximately 20% in requests for medication assistance during the year 5786, compared to the previous year. According to the organization's data, more than 7,000 patients in Israel rely on it each month to receive medications. The data reflects a growing difficulty for patients to afford medical treatment costs, particularly for expensive medications or those not included in the health basket. The organization's CEO, Baruch Lieberman, described frustrated and desperate patients forced to forgo life-saving medications or treatments due to the price tag, with the choice between food and medicine being a daily dilemma. Over the past year, medications worth more than 152 million shekels were distributed, compared to approximately 141 million shekels in the year 5785—an increase of about 8%. In total, about 400,000 boxes were distributed, ranging from basic medications to expensive ones not in the basket. Lieberman called on the public to donate unused medications.