Government okays increased budget for mental health services

The government has approved Health Minister Haim Katz’s proposal to boost funding for mental health services by NIS 541 million ($164 million), as part of a Health Ministry initiative to upgrade Israel’s mental-health system, the Health Ministry says.

The increase will be split over two years: NIS 366 million ($110 million) in 2025 and NIS 175 million ($53 million) in 2026.

“Expanding the ‘basket’ of health services will allow psychiatric hospitals to provide a more comprehensive and high-quality professional response to the thousands of Israelis who need it,” says Health Ministry Director General Moshe Bar Siman-Tov. “The move will improve the quality of mental healthcare, which is gaining new strength at the end of two complex and challenging years during the war.”

Katz says today’s decision “is intended to ensure professional, respectful and accessible care for everyone who needs it.”