Accessibility Is Compassion: Fixing Health App Language Barriers
Access to healthcare should never be lost in translation. Yet thousands in Israel face barriers because major health fund apps lack English. The Embassy of Benevolence calls for true accessibility—so everyone can manage their health with dignity.
The Issue: No English Option in Essential Apps
Israel’s major health funds—Maccabi, Leumit, Kupat Holim, and others—have mobile apps that are essential for accessing vital services: appointments, lab results, prescriptions, claims, and more. Yet, many of these apps lack an English‑language option, limiting access for immigrants, tourists, retirees, and non‑Hebrew speakers.
Review from an English‑speaking new immigrant user
“How do you log in when no one can—even the helpful staff in my local Maccabi office can't log me in... The app needs to be user‑friendly, especially as many immigrants haven’t learned Hebrew well enough.”
From the “Olim Community”
“It is astonishing in a developed country like Israel that the leading healthcare provider’s app is only in Hebrew… maybe one day the 20–30% of the population who aren’t Hebrew speakers can receive service.”
Why This Matters
Health Equity: Access to healthcare should never depend on language ability. Misunderstandings in medical scheduling, prescriptions, or lab results can cause serious harm.
Dignity and Inclusion: Recent immigrants, elderly Olim, English-speaking professionals, and international visitors deserve equity—not exclusion.
Trust in Institutions: When essential apps ignore major language groups, it sends a message of marginalization rather than welcome.
Our Proposal: Inclusive Health for All
The Embassy of Benevolence calls on health funds to:
Add full English-language functionality to all apps immediately.
Engage directly with users and testers from diverse linguistic communities to ensure clarity and usability.
Promote inclusive communication across all digital and physical touchpoints—websites, helplines, and branch offices.
How You Can Help
Share your app frustrations with us—whether you're an immigrant, tourist, or Israeli who struggles with Hebrew.
Join a petition urging health insurers to offer an English toggle, not just Hebrew, Arabic, or Russian.
Encourage health fund leadership to prioritize inclusivity in healthcare communication, so no one is left behind.
Accessible health tools are not a luxury—they are a basic requirement.
By advocating for language inclusion in health apps, we strengthen compassion, clarity, and unity in our society.
“In a country where most services and information are available in English, it’s shocking that the leading healthcare app exists only in Hebrew. A simple toggle is all that’s needed, yet it remains absent.”
— Melchuk, App Store Review of the Maccabi health app