CLINICS Kupat Holim maintains more than a thousand clinics dispersed all over the country to its farthest corners. There is virtually no town, without medical kibbutz or moshav village or rural settlement care facilities of Kupat Holim of a size required by the needs of the local population. A staff of doctors and nurses are at the service of patients in clinics closest to their homes. The larger clinics have laboratories, pharmacies and X-Ray institutes so that all basic medical services are available in one place. These central clinics provide comprehensive specialist services, X-Ray examinations and treatment, dental treatment, laboratory tests, orthopedic and preventive industrial services. The doctors in the local clinics refer patients to these specialists in case of need. Rural district clinics are staffed by a general practitioner, a pediatrician, a nurse and some auxiliary services; specialists visit them at regular intervals. The smaller clinics are staffed by a general practitioner, and a nurse, or a visiting doctor only. A team of public health nurses extends local nursing services. The ever-increasing number of work and traffic accidents have created the urgent necessity for an expansion of physiotherapical and occupational therapy services, and Kupat Holim, following this need, has established special centers for the purpose, Kupat Holim is now experimenting with a system whereby its patients may visit doctors of their own choice at the physican's home rather than calling at the clinic. |