Joint statement from the Ministry of Health and the National Insurance
Addition of treatments for hostile actions victims, with severe post-traumatic symptoms, who have completed 36 treatments and do not meet the criteria for receiving at least 20% temporary/permanent mental disability at the National Insurance
- The Ministry of Health and the National Insurance are publishing criteria for providing a continued bridge treatment for survivors of the events of October 7 in the southern regions of Israel and the Gaza Strip, as well as the survivors of the Nova, Psyduck and Midburn parties, until the grant for mental assistance is received in accordance with the decision of the public committee on the matter.
- The Ministry of Health and the National Insurance announce that the survivors of the events of October 7 in the southern regions of the country and around the Gaza Strip, as well as the survivors of the Nova, Psyduck and Midburn parties, who have less than 20% permanent or temporary mental disability at the National Insurance and have completed the 36 treatment quota under an anxiety protocol, will be able to receive treatment with the same therapist for 12 additional treatments or until the end of December 2024 (whichever comes first).
- The purpose of this bridge treatment is to provide a solution for eligible people who have completed the 36 treatments quota as part of an anxiety protocol and until receiving the relevant grant for mental care in accordance with the decision of the public committee that dealt with the issue.
- The provision of these treatments will be approved individually by the Ministry of Health and National Insurance, after a hearing is held in each case by an Exceptions Committee on behalf of the person in charge of the treatment on behalf of the relevant resilience center and the provision of its recommendation on the matter to the Ministry of Health and the National Insurance Institute.
- It should be emphasized that the National Insurance's anxiety protocol, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, provides trauma-focused treatment of up to 24 treatments, which was expanded in the "Iron Swords" war to 36 treatments, and is designed to prevent permanent and long-term mental illness by a focused series of treatments that does not replace the provision of permanent solutions. In order to treat chronic trauma, you can approach multi-professional trauma clinics, HMOs or according to eligibility from the National Insurance or the Ministry of Defense.
Minister of Health, Uriel Bousso: "Since October 7, the Ministry of Health has been working more vigorously to provide a mental response to anyone who needs it, especially to the many populations who were directly involved in the massacre, in the party in Re'im and settlements surrounding Gaza. The survivors of Nova, young people exposed to shocking scenes are now in various stages of processing their trauma. We are committed to keep providing them with mental support and professional guidance, so we decided to expand the treatments in order to offer them the additional mental solution they need. It should be noted that in the past year, the Ministry of Health has opened resilience centers and specialized clinics, including for party survivors, in addition to a significant reinforcement of services in the mental health system at the HMOs, as well as other measures. This in order to allow the victims of the massacre to cope and strengthen their souls."
Minister of Labor, Yoav Ben Tzur: "We are approaching the anniversary of October 7th, and throughout this time we continue to hurt for and support the bereaved families and the victims of terror attacks. In order to ensure that mental assistance continues to be provided to those in need, even in cases where the percentage of disability does not exceed the required threshold, we succeeded in reaching a compromise and finding a solution to extend the treatments in the resilience centers. Whoever saves one life from Israel is considered as if they have saved an entire world, and healing the souls of terror victims is a noble and important goal from both a moral and human perspective in any righteous society."
Moshe Bar Siman Tov, Director General of the Ministry of Health: "The people who were exposed to the atrocities on October 7 and harmed by them stand before us, and as we have done so far, we are committed to providing them with a mental response and continuity of treatment until the recommendations of the public committee dealing with the issue are implemented. This is juxtaposed with the importance of maintaining the resilience centers as a focused therapeutic response. It is important to note that the Ministry of Health is operating prior to the war, and even more so after the events October 7th, as part of a national mental health program to expand mental health services for the public by increasing the number of therapists, significantly expanding the activities of resilience centers, strengthening the community mental health system, and more. The goal is to strengthen and establish the mental health system as an accessible and public system available to everyone."
Acting Director General of the National Insurance, Zvika Cohen: "The National Insurance is working around the clock to provide a support and assistance to the victims of the October 7th disaster and the war that is unfortunately still ongoing.
The assistance provided by the National Insurance to more than 67 thousand victims of terrorism is not limited to only financial help but also includes therapeutic and psychological support from our Hostile Actions and Rehabilitation departments - and this is due to the understanding that this disaster is unlike any other that we have experienced on this scale in the country.We are glad that there is an agreement to extend the treatments at resilience centers for those who need it and are confident that this will provide appropriate and adequate responses to the victims of terror. The main goal is support, guidance, and healing at this crucial time."
Dr. Gilad Bodenheimer, Head of the Mental Health Department at the Ministry of Health: "We see great importance in providing mental health support to all those in need, especially to populations that were directly involved in the traumatic events of October 7th, and we are committed to this issue along with other government ministries involved.The addition of treatments to the victims of hostile actions who have already used their allotted 36 therapy sessions. This extension is crucial as it allows for the continuation of their treatment without interruption until they receive a mental health assistance grant, which will be provided based on the decision of the public committee dealing with this matter."