Abstract
מאמר זה בוחן את התפתחות מוסד האומבודסמן במערכת שירותי הבריאות הפרט המתמודד עם מערכות ארגוניות גדולות וסבוכות ולטפל בהן. הדבר אמור הן לגבי פרטים שהם לקוחות במובן הרחב של המילה והן לגבי הפרטים שהם חלק מאותן מערכות. המגמה ליצור כלים שמטרתם לסייע בידי הפרט במגעיו עם מערכות ביורוקרטיות מורכבות היא אחת ההתפתחויות הבולטות של השינויים שהתרחשו בחברה המודרנית. הקביעה, שלכל אזרח הזכות להתלונן עוררה את הצורך במנגנון מינהלי פשוט שיקל על האזרח להגיש את תלונתו. את הצורך הזה בא למלא מוסד האומבודסמן. במסגרת המאמר נבדקו מוסדות האומבודסמן במספר מדינות במטרה לחשוף את הדומה ואת השונה בהם ולהשוותם למוסד המקביל בארץ. This study examines the development of the Ombudsman as an institution within the health services system in Israel. There has been growing awareness in recent years of the need to investigate and deal with occurrences of frustration and alienation of the individual who must cope with a large and complex organizational structure. This can be said in respect to individuals who are clients of the public health care system in the broader sense of the word, as well as in respect to individuals who are part of these systems. The trend to create tools aimed at assisting the individual in contacts with complex bureaucratic systems is one of the outstanding developments of the changes that have taken place in modern society. The determination that every citizen is entitled to complaint has given rise to the need for a simple administrative mechanism that would help the citizen submit the complaint. The Ombudsman institution is meant to fulfill this need. The first Ombudsman emerged in China more than 2000 years ago, although this institution did not persist. In modern history, Sweden was the first country to establish the position of the Ombudsman. It is remarkable that chronologically, Israel preceded many democratic countries with more mature political and parliamentary traditions, by enacting in 1971 an amendment to the State Comptroller Law empowering the Comptroller with the additional function of the Ombudsman. This in itself constituted an innovation compared with parallel institutions in other countries, and in fact Israel is to this very day the only country with such an integration of functions. Since its beginnings, the health system in Israel has undergone many shakeups and shocks. The need for an Ombudsman in this system is self-evident, especially since most of those who require the services of the Ombudsman are persons who are ill and unable to promote their own affairs by themselves and thus experience difficulty in finding their way through the maze of constantly changing regulations and procedures. The article examines the situation prior to the enactment of the National Health Insurance Act 1994, and the subsequent situation among the various Ombudsmen in the health system, from the very outset. The reference here is to bodies that handled in the past and are continuing to handle at present, complaints from the insured public, whose subject matter is medical or pertains to the provision of medical services. Among the bodies examined were the Ministry of Health, the Ombudsman for the National Health Insurance Act, the Quality Assurance Department, the Ombudsman for the medical sphere and the office of the Minister of Health, the Ombudsman in the State Comptroller's Office, the Israel Defense Forces Ombudsman and Ombudsmen in the various health services organizations. As learned from the information sources examined, the institution of Ombudsman has developed over the years as the representative and guardian of interests of the citizens by adapting the areas of his activity, its powers and influence on the character and desires of the people who founded it. The study demonstrates the huge step forward taken by Israel in this area in the course of the past thirty years. There is little doubt that at present, governments and organizations of all types recognize the importance of the Ombudsman as a management tool that facilitates correction of distortions and damage to citizens or consumers, as the case may be. The authors believe that this institution will strike roots and flourish to the benefit of the organization and those in need of its services.
Original language | Hebrew |
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Pages (from-to) | 67-82 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | ביטחון סוציאלי |
Volume | 64 |
State | Published - 1 Aug 2003 |