Personnel of the Tbilisi hospitals breach patient rights. People have to pay bills for the medical services that are officially free-of-charge. Moreover, that doctors do nodt pay close attention to their patients.
Patients of the hospital that now exists within the Tbilisi Ivane Javakhishvili State University have reported to the Human Rights Center instances where doctors demanded that they have to pay their bills in cash, both for pre-operation and other medical examinations. However, the patients are covered under the State Poverty Reduction Program and they have even been medical insurance certificates to cover such expenses.
The ill patients who refuse to pay the bills are left without the attention of medical personnel. Besides, the doctors are also demanding that patients have to buy medicines that should be otherwise provided free-of-charge at the hospital.
Specialists, who should work on weekends, too as it is scheduled, generally do not appear at hospitals on weekends as a rule. If you want to have a doctor come to the hospital during his or her “free time: than you are expected to pay an additional 30 GEL in cash.
The Human Rights Center contacted the hospital administration but nobody wished to comment about these serious allegations.
Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti