Israel

THIS MIDDLE EASTERN country was founded in 1948 from what had been the British mandated territory of Palestine. As the only Jewish state in the world, it has a policy of encouraging Jewish people from all over the world to settle in the country, resulting in one of the most culturally diverse populations in the world. The Republic of Israel has a population of 7,047,000 (2006), with 385 doctors and 613 nurses per 100,000 people. An example of cancer incidence rates in Israel includes 295.6 cases of cancer in males per 100,000, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Cancer was known in ancient times, and a reference in the Tohoroth section of the Talmud appears to describe vaginal dermoid cyst. During much of the medieval and early modern periods there was extensive use of Arab surgical practices, but medical treatment was usually beyond the reaches of most people in the Holy Land.

In 1920 the Kupat Holim Clatit, the largest sickness fund, was founded by the General Federation of Labor in Palestine, with further sick funds established during the 1930s: the Amamit Sick Fund, the Leumit Sickness Fund, and the Mercazit Sick Fund. These and subsequent funds continue to provide health insurance for many people in the country, assisted significantly by Christian and other charitable organizations. In a small country with a highly developed medical insurance system, it was natural that mass screening of people should be introduced early. Nathan Trainin's evaluation for the Israel Cancer Association showed that mass screening of women for breast cancer has had positive results, with a fall in the number of women dying of breast cancer. Because the population of Israel has been drawn from all over the world, it has also been possible to study the incidence rates of cancer in these populations, often providing useful information for the health services in their countries of origin.