To:
Subject: Unavailability of medicine/treatment.
Esquire
Since Sunday 19th July 20, 2020, I send this letter to various addresses regarding a
medicine named Carbamazepine (marketed as Tegretol or Teril).
I must state that concerning myself, I might find another solution therefore treatment
using this medicine is not critical nor life-saving for myself.
However, for some different groups of people (e.g. Epileptic people, which I am not
part of) the sudden unavailability of the medicine, which makes it even unavailable at private
pharmacies, might indeed cause a drastic deteriorated condition and might even pose life
risk for them.
Therefore I believe it is needed to find a possible way to make this
medicine available in Israel for those who need it desperately and urgently.
P.S:
1. I must admit I am a Hebrew speaker, and knowledge in foreign languages is limited,
besides a medium level of English and low level of French. I have no further knowledge of
foreign language and I had to use a Translating company to be able to write this letter.
2. On 10th Aug 2018 I joined a movement called "Nitgaber" (means: We will get over it).
On this movement, we try to promote the rights of "Invisible Handicap" – People who have
diseases and other health problems that might be unnoticed toward the outside, which leads
to discrimination against them.
The phone number of the founder of this movement Ms. Tatiana Kdochkin is +972-523708001. She is available (Israel time) from 11 am to 08 pm excluding Jewish and Israel
holidays and weekends.
Here is a link to our movement website: https://www.nitgaber.com/
3. Here is a link to my YouTube channel I opened on 28th April 2020 – Where I upload
videos in Hebrew regarding the handicaps fights which I participated recently.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX17EMVKfwYLVJNQN9Qlzrg?view_as=subscriber
Kind regards,
Assaf Binyamini
To:
Subject: Psychiatric clinic – No response
Esquire
I get treatments for years with psychiatric medicine, including Tegretol CR which is
currently unavailable for purchase at pharmacies.
Under this condition, I require a professional psychiatric observation regarding
alternative treatment. However, the psychiatrist Dr. Amiram Gafni from the mental health
clinic on 34th Brazil Street located at Kiryat Yovel in Jerusalem does not reply to my queries.
I get no answer on the clinic's phone number and no reply for the faxes I have sent,
and his email address or the clinic's is an unavailable option. Contact them by email is
unavailable by them (Obviously this is true only concerning people like me who are tagged
as mentally ill, I assume "normal" or "healthy" people might have this option available, but
since I am defined as mentally ill, this option is not even offered to me).
To summarize: I would like to know what is possible to be done and how can the
Doctor reply to my queries concerning a recommendation for alternative treatment.
Kind regards,
Assaf Binyamini
115th Costa Rica Street
Entrance A – Apartment 4
Kiryat Menachem
Jerualem 9662592
Israel
Phone numbers: Home: +972-2-6427757 Mobile: +972-52-4575172 Fax: +972-772700076
P.S:
1. My citizenship number (Israel) : 029547403
2. Email addresses: 029547403@walla.co.il , asb783a@gmail.com
assaf197254@yahoo.co.il , ass.benyamini@yandex.com , a32assaf@outlook.com ,
assaf002@mail2world.com
3. Dr. Amiram Gafni's Clinic's numbers: +972-2-6444111 Fax: +972-2-6435118
4. My current medical treatment:
A. EFFEXOR – 150mg every morning, 150mg every evening – Psychiatric
medicine
B. Tegretol Cr – 400mg every morning, 400mg every evening – Psychiatric
medicine. Taking this medicine will be only available until 28th July, 2020 once my current
pack will end. (I am writing this letter on Sunday 19th July, 2020).
C. Seroquel – 600mg every evening- Psychiatric medicine.
D. Symvastatine – This is not a psychiatric medicine. I take 10mg every
evening for cholesterol problem in my blood.
5. List of medical problems and diseases:
A. Mental illness – O.C.D and a diseased refered as schyzo-affective
disorder.
B. Psoriatic arthritis
C. An unclear neurologic problem. Main symptoms:
1. Uncontrolled and unnoticed dropping of objects.
2. Dizziness
3. Numb on parts of my palms
4. Lack of balance and stability.
D. Chronic spinal disc herniation on vertebra #4,#5 which influences the legs
and makes it harder to walk.
E. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
F. First symptoms of cardio problems since last month (I am writing these
lines on 22th March, 2018). Currently the reasons for those problems which include chest
ache most of the day, breathing and speech difficulty are unknown.
6. Attached is the email thread I had today, Sunday 19th July 20, 2020 with personnel
regarding the lack of response from the clinic where I am supposed to get my treatments
from:
So I say (again), the psychiatrist who treats me is not replying my queries, so what am I
supposed to do?
Sunday 19th July, 2020 , 15:04:17 GMT+3, Sigalit Flint<sigalit@ima.org.il> Wrote:
Hello Mr. Binyamini,
Here is the reply of Dr. Phishel:
After checking the issue, indeed Teril is no longer available in Israel.
There are similar medicines the patient needs to receive a prescription from his family doctor
or psychiatrist.
Thank you, all the best.
The Israel Medical Association | Union Department | Sigalit Flint
Office | 972-3-6100484 :sigalit@ima.org.il
Hello Tal:
I would like to update you that this is the email I have sent a few minutes ago to Dr. Tsvi
Phishel - Chairman of Israel Psychiatry Union.
Kind regards,
Assaf Binyamini
Phone number in his office: 972-3-9258230
----- Forwarded message ---From: Assaf Binyamini <assaf197254@yahoo.co.il>
To: cdekel@clalit.org.il <cdekel@clalit.org.il>
Sent: Sunday 19th July, 2020 2020, 14:15:44 GMT+3
Subject: Fw: My letter to the Israel Medical Association.
To Dr. Tsvi Phishel greetings:
I've asked to transfer to you from Sigalit Flint from the Israel Medical Association a query for
you. But she refuses and claims that a query like that from a patient who seeks for an
answer is "bothering" as she called it.
I believe that Ms. Sigalit attitude toward me is disrespectful toward me for my disease and
my handicap.
But let's put this aside (This is the repeated attitude toward me from all government offices
anyways, and since you do not treat me regularly this critic is not toward you but the whole
public services).
The main issue is this: I take for years several psychiatric medicines. One of them is called
Tegretol CR which I assume you know as a doctor.
Currently, this medicine is unavailable at the pharmacies, and my queries to my psychiatrist
(Dr. Amiram Gafni from the mental health clinic at 34th Brazil Street at Kiryat Yovel in
Jerusalem) regarding an alternative medical treatment "honored" with a complete ignoration
by him and by the clinic. At this point, the issue is stalled and I am helpless.
I cannot reach them all day, they ignore my faxes, and they give me no alternative as
reaching them by email.
The issue is terribly upsetting me. So what can I do? How do I make Dr. Gafni change his
nature and stop ignoring my queries? I apologize for my sarcastic phrase, but I couldn't find
a better or softer way to phrase it.
I believe that despite being defined as mentally ill, I deserve somewhat of minimal reply.
Kind regards,
Assaf Binyamini – a patient from Jerusalem area
P.S:
I attach the email thread with Sigalit Flint from The Israel Medical Association.
----- Forwarded message ---From: Assaf Binyamini <assaf197254@yahoo.co.il>
To: sigalit@ima.org.il <sigalit@ima.org.il>
Sent: Sunday 19th July, 2020, 13:55:04 GMT+3
Subject: Fw: My letter to the Israel Medical Association.
I request again to transfer my query to Dr. Tsvi Phishel. I contact you in the first place because my
queries to my doctor are being ignored, therefore your suggestion is not helping. And this is not a
"bothering"!! This is a legitimate request from a patient who is seeking an answer!!!! This is his most
elementary duty as a doctor in the public health care services!!!
Assaf Binyamini.
----- Forwarded message ---From: Assaf Binyamini <assaf197254@yahoo.co.il>
To: sigalit@ima.org.il <sigalit@ima.org.il>
Sent: Sunday 19th July, 2020, 13:44:30 GMT+3
Subject: Fw: My letter to the Israel Medical Association.
----- Forwarded message ---From: Assaf Binyamini <assaf197254@yahoo.co.il>
To: sigalit@ima.org.il <sigalit@ima.org.il>
Sent: Sunday 19th July, 2020, 13:27:34 GMT+3
Subject: Fw: My letter to the Israel Medical Association.
----- Forwarded message ---From: Assaf Binyamini <assaf197254@yahoo.co.il>
To: sigalit@ima.org.il <sigalit@ima.org.il>
Sent: Sunday 19th July, 2020, 13:13:47 GMT+3
Subject: Fw: My letter to the Israel Medical Association.
----- Forwarded message ---From: Assaf Binyamini <assaf197254@yahoo.co.il>
To: Sigalit Flint <sigalit@ima.org.il>
Sent: Sunday 19th July, 2020, 12:39:10 GMT+3
Subject: Fw: My letter to the Israel Medical Association.
I already contacted my psychiatrist. He just ignores my queries regarding this subject.
If I could really receive an answer from my psychiatrist I wouldn't have contacted you.
Therefore I believe you should contact Tsvi Phishel again and point him out to that point.
Kind regards,
Assaf Binyamini
Sunday 19th July, 2020, 11:01:20 GMT+3, Sigalit Flint<sigalit@ima.org.il> Wrote:
Hello Mr. Binyamini,
I forwarded your request to Dr. Tsvi Phishel, Chairman of Israel Psychiatry Union.
He suggests you contact your psychiatrist or family doctor to receive a similar alternative.
Thank you and good health.
The Israel Medical Association | Union Department | Sigalit Flint
Office | 972-3-6100484 :sigalit@ima.org.il