As of today (March 16), the State will fund an ambulance trip to the closest hospital for every woman about to give birth, no matter what the distance.
Until now, the National Insurance Institute (NII) funded ambulance trips for birthing mothers only under certain circumstances. The NII and Magen David Adom have now reached an agreement that will cover an ambulance to the closest hospital for every birthing mother.
NII Director-General Esther Dominsini said it was only natural for NII, which already funds other birth costs, to also pay for the ambulance trip. "It is inconceivable that when a woman is feeling labor pangs, she or her family will hesitate to call an ambulance just because of financial considerations," Dominsini said.
The most recent statistics indicate that out of 147,000 annual births, some 6,000 women used Magen David Adom ambulances to reach the hospital. This number is now expected to rise steeply.