Should Israel subsidize Viagra for cancer patients?

[Kathy Meade]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1120625.html

[Phil]

ED is a quality of life issue. Before considering subsidy of quality of live treatments we must insure that life-saving drugs are covered. The budget doesn't expand to fit all needs unfortunately- and so needs must be prioritized. In case you're wondering, I would benefit if ED drugs were subsidized.

[Arnon Krongrad, MD]

Kathy,

You may recall this comment that "sex is not medically necessary." So as Phil says, the decisions are always made along lines of priority. Such priorities are not medical but social. Should sex be valued equally and/or ahead of other functions? If so, why single out Israel? Why would the priorities vary by political boundaries and sovereignty?

[Kathy Meade]

I posted a link to this article because according to the article: The Knesset will consider introducing drugs for sexual dysfunction into the subsidized-drugs package. This will be given mainly as part of the treatment for prostate cancer patients, who suffer erectile dysfunction as a by-product of prostate surgery.

It is not being discussed elsewhere that I know of and thought people in Israel should be aware.

[Arnon Krongrad, MD]

Of course. I understand. The question is one we face here too, not only in Nebraska. We had this as a major heated issue years ago when the VA couldn't decide what to do. So on the one hand we force all Americans and immigrants and tourists to drink fluoridated water to minimize dental cavities; this we accept as an inexpensive piece of socialized medicine. But where does it stop? Viagra? Liver transplants? How does a society decide which medical service to pay for from communal pools? It's a universal issues.

[Lenny Hirsch]

This is the way things work on how to get medication into the approved basket. It should be life saving as the budget is limited. Even then there is no gaurantee that it will be passed. It took us at least two years to have Taxoterre added. Up till then there was no chemo agents for pca in the basket.I was actively involved appearing on TV and Radio as well giving interviews to the press. With a lot of lobbying and demostrations we eventually had it approved.
As chair of the Foundation I was asked to add my two cents worth to the official application. In my opinion it will take a couple of years if Viagra etc is passed, but in Israel anything can happen