Doctors at Gurjaani Geo Hospital Are Against Taking Patients to Tbilisi Hospitals

Lela Khechoshvili, Kakheti

Population of Gurjaani municipality say the Gurjaani multi-profile medical center of Geo Hospital and outpatient service were not adequately prepared for season viruses. Although the hospital does not have adequate laboratory to identify the H1N1 virus, the patients who apply the hospital with the virus are denied to be taken to the capital hospitals for further medical treatment.

On February 11, 2016 a 33-year-old man died of H1N1 virus in the multi-profile clinic of the Gurjaani Geo Hospital. Ambulance delivered him to the hospital with high temperature on February 2. His conditions worsened for what he was placed in intensive therapy unit. On February 11, the young man deceased. 

On February 6, close relative of the patient applied to Human Rights Center for help. He said the young man’s mother was dead, his father was in hospital and only brother took care of him. The brother requested to take the patient to Tbilisi to diagnose whether he had H1N1 but he was refused.

On February 7, director of hospital department at the multi-profile center of the Gurjaani Geo Hospital Ramaz Tevzadze told humanrights.ge that they could not take the patient to Tbilisi because they conducted right medical treatment on him. However, if the family members insist on that they will take the patient to Tbilisi.

The brother of the deceased young man claims he insisted on taking his brother to Tbilisi but doctors at the Gurjaani hospital refused them.

“My brother died of H1N1. The doctors diagnosed him with the virus after he needed artificial breathing. Despite my requests, they did not give us a car to take the patient to Tbilisi. They said he would die on the way to Tbilisi. If they had allowed us to take my brother to Tbilisi timely, he would have survived,” the brother said.

It was not first fact when patient died of the virus in Gurjaani hospital in 2016. On January 21, a man of 45 died in the same medical center. The relatives state the doctors could not timely estimate his diagnose that resulted into his death.

The son of the deceased man said his father had virus but the doctor said it was not dangerous.

Humanrights.ge contacted the director of Gurjaani hospital Rusudan Kupatashvili to find out the situation. She got irritated with journalist’s questions and noted that the hospital was prepared to cope with the season virus and refused to continue conversation.

Third deceased patient was a young woman of 30, who was placed in hospital on January 21. Despite many requests of the family members, she was not taken to Tbilisi timely. After the mother could not convince the hospital administration, her brother arrived from Ukraine and demanded to take his sister to Tbilisi.

“I told them I was ready to pay money for transportation. I was waiting for paramedic car from 9 am to 5 pm and finally took to Tbilisi but it was already late; on February 10 she died in the hospital,” the brother of the deceased woman said.

Head of the Kakheti regional department of the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health Neli Khizanishvili said the number of patients with flue has increased. She said in January 2 persons died of the virus in Gurjaani and Telavi. The Kakheti office of the National Agency says the laboratory researches did not confirm that they had H1N1 virus but died of insufficiency of breathing.