Meuhedet launches Women's Healthmobile
Meuhedet has recently begun to operate the Women’s Mobile Health Unit, whose goal is to increase the receptiveness of women across the country to perform periodic screening tests for early diagnosis byhmaking all the tests accessible in one place, in two spacious vehicles equipped with the most advanced technologies and a specialized staff of women that reaches every city and every woman.
Meuhedet’s Women’s HealthMobile is a medical center on wheels, that enables women to undergo the tests for early diagnosis of breast and cervical cancer and additional screening tests, including mammography, pap smear examination, breast ultrasound, bone density, and other important medical indicators such as blood pressure and other tests – in one place – in a women’s HealthMobile that just about reaches their door.
NIS 11 million was invested in the Women’s HealthMobile, which consists of two huge 12-meter-long trucks imported from Holland. The HealthMobile can operate without the need for electricity or communications and has already reached the hotels housing evacuees at the Dead Sea, enabling women to undergo these tests, who were forced to move away from the medical services with which they were familiar.
Every year, 5,500 women in Israel are diagnosed with breast cancer. Every day, fifteen Israeli women join the 2.6 million women worldwide who are diagnosed annually with the most common cancer in the world. The sooner the disease is diagnosed, the greater the chances of full recovery. Cervical cancer, the fourth most common cancer among women in the Western world, can also be diagnosed by a pap smear examination once every three years. In Israel, compliance with periodic screening for both diseases is insufficient and does not meet the targets set by the World Health Organization.
Meuhedet’s CEO Uzi Bitan: “There are large gaps in screening rates between the center and the periphery, and while close to 80% of women in the center of the country undergo periodic mammography screenings, only 60% of women living in the periphery undergo this important screening. Therefore, we set a goal of narrowing these gaps by making the tests accessible and available in one place, ensuring that no woman pushes them off them because she can’t find the time or because the tests aren’t accessible to her.”
“The main reason women postpone or don’t take screening tests is the lack of accessibility,” Bitan explains. “A woman who has to travel a long distance, and in many cases also takes public transportation, tends to postpone them, even if she understands their importance. Even if she is not dealing with the issue of distance, it’s a series of different medical examinations for which she has to make numerous appointments, obtain referrals, and travel each time. Even a woman with a keen awareness of the importance of early diagnosis finds it difficult to find time for all this in her busy schedule. Therefore, our solution is simple: a women’s HealthMobile that assembles all the medical exams in one place and reaches even the most remote cities.”
Yonat Ran, nurse and coordinator of women’s health at Meuhedet: “Screening tests increase the rate of early diagnosis and, accordingly, the chances of recovery. Almost 70% of women are diagnosed at an early stage of breast cancer that has a 90% rate of recovery. It is important to remember that the disease can strike at any age. Although in the past it was common primarily among women aged 75 and over, over the years, there has been a significant decrease in age, and more women aged 50 and even younger are diagnosed with breast cancer. Cervical cancer can also be diagnosed with a routine examination done once every three years, and it is essential not to give up on a simple examination that can save lives.”
The accompaniment and support that Meuhedet provides does not end at the diagnosis stage and continues even in cases where a finding is diagnosed that requires further clarification, and also in cases where a malignant tumor is discovered. Therefore,
Meuhedet recently launched the Pink Line, a dedicated call center staffed by nurses, social workers, and professional teams that provides answers to medical questions and, at the same time, supplies information and counseling, emotional support, administrative responses on various issues, and help in navigating the bureaucracy that accompanies the process.
“As soon as a woman receives the news that she has a suspicious finding in her breast, she feels that the sky has fallen in on her. She is confused, scared and helpless, exposed to vast amounts of information and unsure how to put all this information in order,” explains Batsheva Sapir, director of the Pink Line center at Meuhedet. “As a health fund that accompanies the woman throughout her life, we need to be there for her in her process of coping with breast cancer, to answer any questions and help her get through the difficult period. “The Pink Line provides a professional and mental embrace when she needs us most. It is important to give her the feeling that she is not alone and that there is someone who reaches out to her and helps her cope with the disease, symptoms, and treatments during this challenging period.”
Meuhedet CEO Uzi Bitan: “While close to 80% of women in Tel Aviv undergo periodic mammography examinations, only 60% of women living in the periphery undergo this important screening. We set ourselves a goal to lead real change, to make all the tests accessible and centralized in one place, and to make sure that no woman gives up on them because she can’t find the time or because the tests aren’t accessible to her.”