Bottle of medicine medication (illustrative)
Bottle of medicine medication (illustrative)iStock

Thirty-four percent of haredim and 26% of secular Israelis refused medical treatment due to financial reasons, a new survey by the ZETATOOLS research center showed.

The survey, conducted for the Chasdei Naomi charity, examined a representative sample of Israel's population.

In addition, 23% of secular Israelis and 14% of haredim pay at least 200 NIS per month on medications. Nineteen percent of secular Israelis and 18% of haredim are not happy with their health fund.

A full 22% of those with high school education and 15% of those with academic education do not believe they are getting their money's worth from their health funds.

When it comes to poor people, the organization said, the situation is even worse. "It's an unthinkable reality when the elderly need to choose between food and medicine," Chasdei Naomi said.