Israel's Health Basket Committee Begins Review of 1,109 Medical Requests

The committee responsible for determining Israel's 2027 health basket has commenced its deliberations, facing a significant gap between the number of requests and available funding. This year, the committee received 1,109 applications for new drugs and medical technologies, with a total cost running into billions of shekels. However, the budget allocated for expanding the health basket is only 650 million shekels.

The initial working meeting was attended by Health Minister Chaim Katz, Director General of the Ministry of Health Moshe Bar Siman Tov, committee chairwoman Professor Dina Ben-Yehuda, and committee coordinator Professor Osnat Luxemburg. Officials acknowledged the challenge of prioritizing life-saving treatments, quality-of-life improvements, pain relief, and preventive medicine within the limited budget.

Minister Katz emphasized that each request represents patients and families awaiting a decision, stating, "Behind every request that reaches the basket committee, there are patients and families waiting for news." He highlighted the difficult decisions required to weigh requests against available resources.

Director General Bar Siman Tov noted the growing challenge due to medical advancements and evolving patient needs. He stressed the need to balance the requirements of patients needing life-saving drugs with treatments aimed at improving quality of life, alleviating suffering, and preventing diseases. He expressed hope for a diverse and advanced health basket and thanked the committee members and staff.

Professor Ben-Yehuda, serving as chair for the fifth year, spoke about the responsibility of setting priorities. She acknowledged that while medical progress offers new treatment options annually, budget constraints prevent fulfilling all requests. "We know we cannot provide a solution for everyone, and that is the great pain of the committee's work," she stated. She committed to a professional and fair review of each request, aiming to bring relief and hope to as many patients as possible within the existing budget.