Family doctor, urgent care or emergency room? A decision tree for Jerusalem, plus how referrals, prescriptions and English-speaking doctors work inside the health funds.
Once you are a member of a health fund (how to choose one), care in Jerusalem runs through three doors: your family doctor at the fund's clinic for anything routine, an urgent-care centre for the evening and weekend problems that cannot wait, and the hospital emergency room for real emergencies. Knowing which door saves hours and money. In an emergency, call 101 for Magen David Adom.
The family doctor
Choose a family doctor (rofeh mishpacha) or paediatrician in the fund's app from the clinics near you; the app shows languages, and "English" is a filter worth using. Appointments are booked in the app or by phone, video visits are routine, and the doctor is the gateway to everything else: referrals, prescriptions, sick notes and tests. If the first doctor does not suit you, change in the app; nobody minds.
Referrals, specialists and the commitment form
A specialist visit, a scan or a test needs a referral (hafnaya) from the family doctor and, for many services, a commitment form (hitchayvut, often called Tofes 17) issued by the fund that promises to pay the provider. The app issues most of them; the clinic's secretary handles the rest. Specialists inside the fund are free or nearly so; the supplementary plans open the door to private specialists and shorter waits, with a co-payment.
Pharmacies and prescriptions
Prescriptions are digital and appear at any pharmacy of the fund or its partner chains, including Super-Pharm, on your ID number; co-payments are small for listed medicines. Every neighbourhood has a pharmacy, and the fund's app and 106 list the night pharmacy on duty. Over-the-counter medicines are behind the counter here; ask.
Urgent care: the evening and weekend door
For a fever at night, a cut that needs stitches, a suspected fracture or an ear infection on Friday afternoon, go to an urgent-care centre rather than the ER: Terem's clinics around the city and the funds' own after-hours centres see walk-ins into the night, with X-ray and basic labs on site, and the fund covers most or all of the visit with a referral or a small co-payment. Waits are shorter and the visit is cheaper than an ER for anything that is not life-threatening. Check the fund's app for the nearest open one before you set out.
The ER: when and where
Chest pain, difficulty breathing, a serious injury, a stroke sign, a very sick child: call 101 or go straight to the emergency room. Jerusalem's ERs are at Shaare Zedek, Hadassah Ein Kerem and Hadassah Mount Scopus. An ER visit without a referral or an admission carries a fee unless it falls into the categories the law exempts; with a doctor's or urgent-care referral, or if you are admitted, the fund pays. Bring your ID; the fund membership is looked up from it.
Children
Vaccinations and development checks for babies and toddlers run through tipat chalav, the well-baby clinic network, separately from the health fund; register in the first weeks with the child's ID. Paediatricians work through the fund like family doctors, and the children's urgent-care rooms at the hospitals and Terem are used to first-time parents. The gan guide explains what the gan will ask for.
Mental health, dental and the rest
Mental-health care is covered through the fund with a referral, with waits; the supplementary plans and private therapists, many English-speaking, fill the gap. Dental care for adults is largely private, with children covered up to a set age through the fund. Physiotherapy, dietitians and other allied care go through referrals and the supplementary plans.
Numbers to save
- 101 Magen David Adom (ambulance).
- 100 Police. 102 Fire.
- Your fund's 24-hour nurse line from the app: they will tell you which door to use.
- 106 the municipality, for the on-duty pharmacy.
Hebrew you will meet
- rofeh / rofa — doctor (m/f)
- rofeh mishpacha — family doctor
- tor — appointment
- hafnaya — referral
- hitchayvut / Tofes 17 — the fund's commitment to pay
- mirsham — prescription
- cheder miyun — emergency room
- tipat chalav — well-baby clinic
More everyday words are in our Hebrew vocabulary guide.
Common questions
Do I go to the ER or urgent care in Jerusalem?
Urgent care (Terem or your fund's after-hours centre) for stitches, fractures, fevers and infections; the ER for chest pain, breathing trouble, serious injury or anything that might be life-threatening. Call 101 if in doubt.
How do I find an English-speaking doctor?
Filter by language in your health fund's app when choosing a family doctor or specialist; the Anglo community groups keep lists for the rest, and Terem's staff generally speak English.
Is the ER free in Israel?
It is covered if you arrive with a referral, are admitted, or fall into the exempt categories; otherwise a fee applies. Urgent care with a referral is the cheaper route for non-emergencies.
What is Tofes 17?
The health fund's commitment form that promises to pay a hospital or provider for a specific service; most are issued in the app, and you present it at the appointment.
A clinic, number or rule that changed? Tell us and we will fix it.
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