Israelis forced to choose between bread and medicine. Politicians, wake up

The author, head of the charity organization 'Haverim le-Refua', urges politicians to address Israel's healthcare crisis. He cites patients forced to choose between medication and food, and criticizes insufficient funding for the state health basket: in 2025, only 13% of applications were approved. The author stresses that drug accessibility is a matter of national security.

Ahead of the elections in Israel, the author, CEO of the charity organization 'Haverim le-Refua' Baruch Liberman, urges politicians to address the healthcare crisis. He gives examples: a 78-year-old pensioner is forced to forgo life-saving medications, a single mother chooses between treating her child and paying rent, and patients on the periphery wait over six months for an MRI. The author criticizes the insufficient funding of the state health basket: in 2025, drugs worth 5 billion shekels were submitted for review, but only 650 million (13%) were approved. He emphasizes that drug accessibility is a matter of national security and calls on candidates to propose a strategic program in this area.