On April 9, 2018, Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) and the South Health  Forum contacted the four health funds for data on their budget allocations to districts and counties, with emphasis on the Southern District-Beersheba County

We emphasized that according to Ministry of Health data, the public health services in the South (as well as in the North) are severely inferior to those provided in the Center in almost every parameter, and that the ministry’s budgets are transferred to the funds based on the so-called capitation formula, that includes unique budgets for remote areas given the objective challenges faced by the health system in terms of service provision. These include the geographical distance from health centers, low population density, lo availability of public transportation, and more.

In particular, we have no information on the actual allocation to the various districts and counties, particularly in the Southern District-Beersheba County, by the Clalit Health Fund. To the best of our knowledge, this information is not available to the public.

In our letter, we stated that in order for us to systematically examine the root causes of the inferiority of health services in the South compared to those provided in Central Israel, and in order to improve their quality, we demand full transparency in the data on budgets allotted by the health funds to their various counties.