Cabinet Unanimously Approves Expansion of the Health Basket
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

The Cabinet today (Sunday, 30 December 2012), unanimously approved an
approximately NIS 300 million expansion of the health basket, pursuant to
the proposal of Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman. The expansion will
take effect at the beginning of next month.

The 2013 health basket was formulated by the Public Committee on the
expansion of the Health Basket chaired by Shaare Zedek Medical Center Prof.
Jonathan Halevy.

The 2013 health basket will focus on preventive care: For the first time,
over 50,000 8th-grade girls will be inoculated against cervical cancer.
Innovative drugs for the treatment of breast and ovarian cancer will be
added including Afinitor, Perjeta and Avastin, as well as an innovative drug
for treating prostate cancer, Zytiga. The basket will also include nuchal
translucency testing and advanced pregnancy tests for various genetic
diseases.

Criteria for inclusion in the health basket included the following:

* Prolonging life and improving quality of life;

* High level of medical proof regarding clinical efficacy;

* Cost of the technology for individuals and society (based on justice,
equality and mutual assistance) and reducing the economic burden to society.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "This is a very significant
expansion of the health basket: Important medicines and medical
technologies, including preventing cervical cancer among woman, breast
cancer, pre-natal tests and advanced pregnancy treatments. All of this is
advanced preventative and therapeutic treatment. I think this is very
important news for the public. We have done much and we are doing even more.
We have still have much to do."