T.A. 8155/06 A.Z. v. Meuhedet Health Fund
Mrs. Tz.A., of blessed memory, complained during her pregnancy to her treating doctor that she believed there was a lump in her left breast. The doctor dismissed her with the response that it was a milk lump resulting from the pregnancy and did not refer her to have the matter examined as required.
After childbirth, Mrs. A. continued to complain about the existence of the lump, but even then the treating doctors refrained from conducting a professional examination and treated her based on the assumption that it was merely an inflammation.
After some time, she underwent a biopsy at the hospital and it became clear, with a delay of several months, that it was a cancerous tumor in her left breast.
After some time, metastases were diagnosed in her brain, which led to her death, leaving behind a husband and four young children.
The court accepted the lawsuit handled by our office and determined that despite the fact that Mrs. A. had conveyed clear complaints regarding the lump in her breast, these complaints did not receive professional attention, which led to a late diagnosis of the disease and to severe damage to her chances of recovering from this disease.
The court awarded her estate a sum of approximately 1,300,000 ₪ for a series of damages including pain and suffering, significant shortening of her life expectancy, and loss of income.
