Kaplan Hospital Investigates Suspected Blood Draws Without Patient Consent

The Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot has filed a complaint with Israeli police following suspicions that blood samples were drawn from patients without their informed consent as part of a study in the cardiology department. The complaint was lodged last week after a staff member alerted hospital management, prompting an investigation. The number of affected patients and individuals whose blood was drawn without consent has not yet been specified. Informed consent, a prerequisite for medical research participation, requires patients to receive comprehensive information about a study and freely agree to join, a process typically formalized through ethics committees like Helsinki committees. Hospital management stated that immediate measures were taken upon receiving initial information, and the Ministry of Health has been notified. The hospital assured that the cardiology department continues normal operations and patient care is uninterrupted.

This incident occurs while a separate investigation is underway concerning Professor Kobi George, head of the cardiology department, related to an alleged reduction in the duration of internal medicine residencies under his supervision. The Israeli Medical Association's scientific commission is investigating a report from a trainee physician suggesting that doctors in a combined cardiology and internal medicine program may have been excused from mandatory internal medicine training periods, despite their records indicating completion. The circumstances surrounding the alleged blood draws and potential responsibilities are still being determined.