Woman Sues Health Provider 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 and necessity of a colonoscopy. The woman, who was 54 at the time of her initial screening, was referred for the procedure twice but was not informed of the potential for malignancy.

According to the lawsuit filed in Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court, a third positive test result for occult blood was noted by a doctor who made a comment about "no phone response" and took no further action to contact the patient. It was only five years after her first screening that she underwent a colonoscopy, revealing a large tumor that had spread significantly.

Medical expert opinions attached to the suit state that the woman's survival rate in the next five years is only 40%. Experts argue that the family doctor did not fulfill their duty to inform the patient of the findings' severity and the need for the colonoscopy, calling the clinical approach "superficial." They contend that patients cannot be expected to interpret complex medical results without clear explanations from their physicians, and therefore, the woman cannot be considered to have refused the recommended tests.

Attorneys for the woman stated that doctors took "weak action" to contact her and gave up when initial attempts failed, leading to the cancer being diagnosed at a late stage and severely impacting her quality and life expectancy. Clalit Health Services responded that they recently received the lawsuit and will provide a full response within the legal proceedings.