Health First: Technological Devices Added to Health Basket

As part of the expansion of the health services basket for 2015, supportive and alternative communication devices were included.

Supportive and alternative communication devices enable people without speech ability or those with poor speech clarity to express themselves, allowing optimal and independent communication with their surroundings as much as possible. The devices operate via software that enables communication through the transmission of recorded or typed messages replacing speech. The system is activated using various accessibility aids, from a standard operating mouse to complex systems allowing communication through eye focus, intended for individuals with severe speech disabilities and severe motor impairments.

A special circular from the Ministry of Health details the approved systems, the eligible population, the process for submitting applications to the Ministry of Health, and the supply of the devices. To determine eligibility for a device, an evaluation by a speech therapist detailing language and speech functions is required, along with a document from a doctor containing relevant medical information.

MK Yaakov Litzman (Photo: Yonatan Sindel / Flash 90)

The device will be provided by the Ministry of Health for permanent use only after a trial period of at least 3 months of system usage. The Ministry of Health will direct patients to an external entity that will loan the devices to patients for the entire trial period. At the end of the trial period, an evaluation by a speech therapist specializing in supportive alternative communication will be provided, and the device will be approved according to professional opinion. In cases where accessibility aids are needed to operate the computer, an occupational therapist specializing in supportive alternative communication will provide an evaluation detailing the necessary accessibility aids.

The decision to approve and supply the device will be made by the National Rehabilitation and Mobility Device Unit and handled according to the Ministry of Health's procedure for approving rehabilitation and mobility devices. Devices will be returned to the Ministry of Health after use, in accordance with the rehabilitation and mobility device approval procedure. Repairs and technical support will be the responsibility of the Ministry of Health and in accordance with the procedure for approving rehabilitation and mobility devices.

The inclusion of technology in the health basket is an important and significant step, as it will provide assistance to many people suffering from speech and complex motor disabilities, thereby making a decisive contribution to their rehabilitation and integration into society.