Woman Sues Health Insurer for Millions Over Delayed Cancer Diagnosis

A woman is suing Clalit Health Services for up to 2.5 million shekels, alleging medical negligence led to a delayed diagnosis of advanced rectal cancer. The lawsuit claims that despite multiple positive results for occult blood in stool tests over five years, doctors failed to adequately explain the urgency of a colonoscopy, resulting in the cancer being discovered at a late stage.

According to the claim filed in Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court, the woman was 54 when she first underwent screening. She was referred for a colonoscopy after a positive stool test, but the necessity of the procedure to rule out malignancy was not made clear. This pattern repeated six months later with another positive result and referral, followed by a third positive result two years later, which a doctor noted as having "no telephone response" without further action.

It was only five years after her initial screening that she finally underwent a colonoscopy, revealing a large tumor. Medical experts cited in the lawsuit state that the woman's survival rate in the next five years is only 40%. They argue that the family doctor did not make sufficient efforts to contact the patient and explain the seriousness of the findings, calling the clinical approach "superficial."

Attorneys for the woman contend that patients lack medical expertise and may be hesitant about invasive tests, making the doctors' responsibility to ensure understanding and follow-up crucial. They assert that the doctors' "feeble action" and subsequent abandonment of efforts to contact her for two years led to the advanced diagnosis and severe impact on her life expectancy and quality of life.

Clalit Health Services stated that they recently received the lawsuit and will provide a full response within the legal proceedings.