The women say that just as each clinic has specialist children's doctors, so too should they have doctors specializing in geriatric medicine.
By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY (TRANSLATED)
The Hadassah women's organization in Ra'anana, Herzliya and Ramat Hasharon has begun a campaign to demand that medical clinics provide special doctors for the elderly, reports the Hebrew weekly Ha'ir-Tzomet Hasharon. The women say that just as each clinic has specialist children's doctors, so too they should have doctors specializing in geriatric medicine.
According to the report, the women say elderly people have been neglected for too long and the medical funds should start providing doctors specializing in geriatric medicine at each clinic. The organization said elderly people comprise 15 percent of patients and use 40% of the budgets of the medical funds.
"This population requires many medicines," a Hadassah spokeswoman said. "These medicines sometimes interact with each other and there is a need for the knowledge of a specialist doctor. Similarly, this population has trouble moving around, but general practitioners, who have no special training in taking care of the elderly, flood them with referrals to specialists. Elderly people need to get the best possible care from one doctor, without having to go from place to place."
No response was reported from the medical funds or from the Health Ministry.