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Long-Term Treatment Centers for Addicts

Dr. Paula Roshka, Director of the Department of Substance Use Disorder Treatments, Ministry of Health;  Nir Sha'ar, Director of Addiction Treatment Frameworks, Ministry of Health
1 September 2025

People addicted to opioid drugs, such as heroin and morphine, or strong prescription opioid painkillers, who have been unable to quit, can turn to long-term treatment centers. These centers operate under the supervision of the Ministry of Health and provide patients with a holistic approach that combines medication-assisted treatment (substitute drugs) with medical monitoring, psychosocial support, health education, and disease prevention guidance.

Treatment Goals

Medication-assisted treatment is provided with methadone or buprenorphine (Subutex, Suboxone, Sublocade). The goals are:

  • Reducing drug cravings
  • Stabilizing physical and mental health
  • Stopping injections and restoring functioning

Treatment Targets

There are two types of patients: street drug users and prescription drug users. Each group has different treatment targets:

  • For street drug users: Stopping drug use, preventing complications, stopping criminal activity, stopping injection, and returning to a stable, healthy life.
  • For prescription drug users: Stopping prescription drug use, switching to Suboxone, stabilizing mental and physical health, and in the long term—stopping Suboxone and returning to a stable, healthy life.

Eligibility for Treatment and Admission Process

Any resident of Israel, or tourists (under certain conditions) with motivation to receive treatment, may apply. Treatment requires a positive urine test for opioids, an admissions committee review, and a personal interview:

  • Admission process: Includes an intake meeting, drug testing, signing a treatment contract, and beginning treatment.
  • Required documents: Lab tests, chest X-ray, EKG, medical summary, urine tests, proof of payment, and a copy of ID card.

Cost of Treatment

The monthly copayment ranges from NIS 195 to NIS 374.

Treatment settings: Public rehabilitation centers and private clinics licensed by the Ministry of Health.

People addicted to opioid drugs, such as heroin and morphine, or strong prescription opioid painkillers, who have not been able to fully abstain and completely stop using these substances, can seek treatment at long-term medication-assisted treatment centers. These centers are designed to treat addictions by providing substitute medications and operate under the responsibility and supervision of the Ministry of Health.

Treatment at Long-Term Medication-Assisted Centers

The treatment process at these centers is holistic and combines medication-assisted treatment (substitute drugs) with medical monitoring, psychosocial support, health education, and guidance for preventing infectious diseases. In some centers, initial steps toward rehabilitation are also offered. In certain cases, patients can gradually transition, with medical and psychosocial support, from long-term medication-assisted treatment to full detoxification.

Goals of Medication-Assisted Treatment

Treatment is provided with methadone or buprenorphine-based medications, known by their brand names: Subutex, Suboxone film, or Sublocade injection. These medications have clear goals:

  • Help reduce drug cravings
  • Stabilize physical and mental health
  • Stop injecting or taking opioid painkillers
  • Restore personal, family, and occupational functioning

Who is drug treatment suitable for?

In recent years, the patient population in the centers has changed and consists of two types of patients:

  • Street drug addicts

    Patients who are addicted to street drugs from the opioid group, such as heroin and morphine, in combination with other substances.

  • Opioid prescription drug addicts

    Patients who are addicted to prescription opioid painkillers such as fentanyl, Paroxetine, etc., and need treatment and detoxification.

Treatment goals

For street drug addicts

In the short and medium term:
  • Complete cessation of the use of opioid street drugs or other psychoactive substances.
  • Prevention of health complications and risks to public health.
  • Ending criminal activity related to drug use.
  • Stopping injection use among those who injected.
In the long term:
  • Returning to a stable, healthy lifestyle.
  • Supporting personal, family, and occupational rehabilitation.

For opioid prescription drug addicts

In the short and medium term:
  • Stopping the use of opioid prescription drugs and transitioning to treatment with Suboxone film.
  • Stabilizing the patient’s mental and physical condition while managing pain.
In the long term:
  • Gradually tapering off Suboxone film and returning to a stable, healthy lifestyle.
  • For people with chronic pain: After consulting with pain specialists, treatment may continue with Suboxone film or switch to a monthly Sublocade injection. This process is carefully monitored and supervised at a long-term medication-assisted treatment center.

Conditions for Receiving Treatment at Long-Term Medication-Assisted Treatment Centers

  • The patient must be a resident of Israel.
  • Tourists may receive treatment under certain conditions.
  • The patient must show at least minimal motivation for treatment and commit to following the program’s rules and conditions.
  • Admission requires a positive urine test for opioids, as well as review by an admissions committee and a personal interview.

Referral to a Long-Term Medication-Assisted Treatment Center

If you or someone close to you needs this service, you can contact a long-term medication-assisted treatment center directly. Referrals can also be provided by relevant professionals, such as social workers at the welfare office, family physicians, general hospitals, or psychiatric hospitals. At the center, the professional staff will assess eligibility for treatment.

The admission process to a long-term drug treatment center

Medical and psychosocial diagnosis. During the meeting, a referral may be made for laboratory tests, depending on medical judgment.

A referral will be made for urine drug testing to verify that the applicant is addicted to drugs or opioid medications.

If the professional team decides that there is suitability and justification for receiving drug treatment at the center, the patient will be required to sign a "treatment contract" after which they will be able to begin receiving treatment at the center.

Admission to the center will be made within a week of the intake date.

Required Documents and Tests

  • Laboratory tests, chest X-ray, EKG, and a medical summary from the referring physician.
  • Urine tests for drug detection.
  • Payment voucher for the monthly copayment (amount varies) – available at the center.
  • A copy of an Israeli ID card or passport proving Israeli residency.
  • For tourists: Medical documentation detailing medical or addiction history, previous treatments, current medication (if any) and dosage, along with identification details and contact information for the treatment facility abroad to verify the data.

Cost of Treatment at Public Long-Term Medication-Assisted Centers

Treatment at public centers requires a monthly copayment that varies based on the patient’s cooperation and personal progress. Most of the cost is covered by the state.

As of early 2025, the monthly cost ranges from NIS 195 to NIS 374.

For Your Information

For Your Information

Only public rehab centers, which are supervised by the Ministry of Health, are allowed to treat opiate addiction using the drug substitute methadone. In any unlicensed framework, treatment of addiction with methadone is illegal, may endanger the patient to the point of life threatening, and expose the treating party to criminal prosecution for trafficking and illegal use of dangerous drugs.

Private Clinics Licensed and Supervised by the Ministry of Health

Medication-assisted treatment with buprenorphine drugs, also known as substitution therapy and sold under the brand names Subutex, Suboxone, and Sublocade injection, is also available at private clinics licensed by the Ministry of Health to provide long-term treatment.

Since 2002, the Department of Addiction Treatment at the Ministry of Health has been training physicians to treat patients with buprenorphine. By law, physicians who have completed this training are permitted to prescribe these medications only as part of their work at a treatment center licensed by the Ministry of Health.

The names of physicians authorized to prescribe under these conditions are forwarded to district pharmacists for oversight.

Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) Clinics

In recent years, HMOs have begun offering treatment at clinics for patients who suffer from pain and have developed an addiction to opioid painkillers. Patients should check with their HMO to see which clinics provide this service. These clinics are not authorized to provide methadone.

HMO Inquiries

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