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Parkinson's Day in the Knesset - Amor Carmin

I would like to share with the members that on June 26, Parkinson's Day was celebrated in the Knesset, this is the first time. The purpose of the day was to deal with all the burning aspects and to raise awareness of Parkinson's disease in Israel and its treatment! The day included discussions in two committees of the Knesset: the Committee on Public Inquiries and the Committee on Health, Labor and Welfare. MK Azberga (the joint list) initiated the debates with the support of the association and took part in both. In both debates, the association presented 2 challenges, the solution of which will affect many patients:

  • The first challenge is the large gap between the services provided to Parkinson's patients in the center and those provided in the periphery and especially in the northern periphery where the association requests that a Parkinson's clinic be established in M.R. Ziv in Safed.
  • The second challenge is the lack of infrastructure and standards for proper treatment of Parkinson's patients. The association requests that the Ministry of Health begin the process to standardize a multi-professional team for the treatment of patients: what is the minimum required and what is the optimal standard.

An exhibition of paintings by artists suffering from Parkinson's disease was presented in the entrance plaza to the committee rooms.

MK Azberga also gave a short speech in the Knesset plenum that afternoon. Below is a summary of his words:

"Today we celebrate International Parkinson's Day, which falls on April 11 - admittedly late, but better than never. The purpose of the day, Madam Chairwoman, is to raise public awareness and indicate changes and adjustments that can address the needs of Parkinson's patients and their families .

The Ministry of Health does not have information on the number of Parkinson's patients in Israel. I contacted the Knesset's MMM (Research and Information Center), and he contacted the health funds, as so-called subcontractors of the Ministry of Health. According to their research, the number of patients in Israel is greater than 25,000 people. Some say it has even reached 35,000. Relative to the number The residents of the State of Israel is a large, tremendous number, and it is expected that this number will continue to grow due to the aging of the population.

In addition to drug treatment, there is a need for complementary treatments from the paramedical professions such as physical therapy, communication therapists, etc., but the health insurance funds limit the amount of complementary treatments, and patients are required to pay out of their own money for the treatment. A clear and tangible example of the necessity of complementary treatments can be seen in the fact that about half of the deaths of Parkinson's patients are caused by problems with swallowing - 52% die from aspiration due to the lack of treatment by speech therapists. If a speech pathologist in the community could treat him, it would be better and cheaper.

In the periphery - north and south together - there are a total of four neurologists who specialize in Parkinson's, compared to Ichilov, for example, which has six doctors. The entire north and south have less than one hospital in the center. Recently, the strike of the paramedical professions ended, due to a severe lack of standards, and the state must change its approach and stop neglecting the patients.

In conclusion, immediate action must be taken to open a dedicated center for movement disorders in a hospital, Ziv for example, and assign new standards. 

All I have to do is say a big thank you to the chairman for approving this day, and a big thank you to those involved in this, such as the Parkinson's Association in Israel. Thank you very much."

We at the association hope that it will be possible to make the celebration of Parkinson's Day in the Knesset an annual tradition.
Thank you to all the members who took the trouble to come to Jerusalem to the Knesset building to support us. Time will tell if we succeeded.

Amir Carmin