Advance Directives and Durable Power of Attorney
Individuals over 17 with decision-making capacity may complete advance directives for future medical care and designate a healthcare proxy.
The Terminally Ill Patient Law (Hebrew) covers adults ages 17 and older with a terminal illness. This law says medical staff must give comfort care to relieve suffering for these terminally ill patients and their families. Comfort care, also called palliative care, eases pain and other discomfort.
This law lets people make healthcare plans while still healthy. That way, if illness keeps them from making decisions on their own, their wishes are known. Advance care directives spell out treatments patients would or would not want to prevent prolonged suffering at the end of life.
The Terminally Ill Patient Law limits when medical staff can withhold care. The law does not allow euthanasia or assisted suicide.
People ages 17 and older who can make their own medical decisions can plan for future health care. There are two options to plan ahead:
- Give advance directives regarding the medical care they want
- Choose someone to make decisions for you if you become too sick to decide
The advance care directives are binding if the patient has the capacity to make decisions.
The advance care directives or appointed healthcare proxy will start making decisions only when the illness keeps patients from deciding on medical care for themselves.
1. Advance medical directives for future medical treatment of a terminally ill patient
An advance medical directive form specifies regarding future medical treatment, in a dying patient who is incapable of making decisions (for example, due to unconsciousness, insanity, etc.).
The form reflects the desire of the signatory to avoid medical treatments or, alternatively, to receive life-prolonging medical treatments, in a situation that will be defined as a dying patient.
2. Power of attorney for the purpose of medical decisions regarding terminally ill patients
This form is intended to be filled out by a person who wishes to appoint a proxy, to be authorized to decide for him on medical treatment that will or will not be given to him, if he is a dying patient, or a terminally ill patient who is incapable of making decisions.
The power of attorney refers only to medical conditions and does not deal with financial law.
Powers of attorney
The form contains several alternatives for the person giving the power of attorney:
- Alternative A
A proxy will be authorized to decide on his behalf regarding giving medical treatment or non-medical treatment, in a decision regarding all life-prolonging medical treatments.
Whether it is consent to the provision of life-prolonging medical treatment, or whether it is a matter of avoiding life-prolonging medical treatment. - Alternative B
A proxy will be authorized to decide on his behalf only with consent to the provision of exceptional medical treatment - life-prolonging. - Alternative C
A proxy will be authorized to decide on his behalf about the treatments listed in the form; Give the patient life-prolonging medical treatment or refrain from giving the patient life-prolonging medical treatment.
The power of attorney who chose alternative C must continue to fill in sections C1 - C2.
Information given by a doctor or nurse and their signature is required on this form, only if the power of attorney chose alternative C in the powers of the power of attorney.
3. Power of Attorney to provide medical directives for treating a dying patient According to the Dying Patient Law - abbreviated version
This form is intended to be filled out by a person who is not defined as a dying patient when filling out the form.
This form is intended to be filled out by a person who wishes to appoint a proxy, who authorized to decide for him on the medical treatment that will or will not be given to him if he is a dying patient, or a terminally ill patient who is incapable of making decisions.
4. How to extend advance medical directives or proxy appointment
This form makes it possible to extend the validity of advance medical directives or extend the validity of a power of attorney or an abbreviated power of attorney.
According to the law, the validity of the forms must be extended every five years.
The Ministry of Health will send a reminder to fill out the validity extension form every 5 years, as long as the form is valid.
A form whose validity has not been extended will be invalid, but will remain in the database, and the doctor is entitled to take into account the directives written in the form.
5. Instructions for revoking advance medical directives or revoking a power of attorney
This form is intended to be filled out by a person who wishes to cancel the form stored in the database at the Ministry of Health.
Fill out the relevant form, enclose a photocopy of the relevant ID card and send them by registered post to:
The Center for Health Care Directives
The Ministry of Health
39 Yirmiyahu Street
PO Box 1176
Jerusalem 9446724
Note
Healthcare decisions and proxy that are filed in compliance with the law are binding for the medical staff. It is therefore recommended to send the completed forms for filing in the archives of the Center for Health Care Directives.
- Your forms will be reviewed by the Center for Health Care Directives to make sure that they've been filled out correctly. You'll be sent confirmation that they are being processed.
- You'll get a reminder before the forms expire.
- Forms that were processed by the Ministry of Health will be made available digitally to caregivers.
NOTICE: In case of any discrepancy or inconsistency between the text on this page and governing law, the law prevails.
Ministry of Health
Kol Habriyut
Operating hours
Sunday to Thursday, from 8am to 6pm
Friday and holiday eves, from 8am to 1pm
Hol Hamoed Pessach and Succot, from 8am to 2pm