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Zaza Sopromadze: “Only One Ministry Cannot Resolve Problems of Psychic Health”

May 22, 2017
 
Lana Giorgidze

On May 17, the Public Defender of Georgia organized a working meeting on the issues of psychic health. During his welcome speech, the Public Defender Ucha Nanuashvili said the purpose of the meeting is to discuss the current situation, challenges and future plans in the field of psychic health together with the representatives of the state institutions, civil society organizations and field experts. Ucha Nanuashvili added it is important that not only one ministry worked on the resolution of the problems but the entire state shall start systemic work for the improvement of the situation. 

“With the working meetings, we aim to assist the state to at least develop comprehensive policy to improve the situation, so that the psychic healthcare did not develop in dismemberment and that the state had comprehensive action strategy,” Nanuashvili said.

Representatives of the psychiatric clinics, field specialists, representatives of the NGOs and Healthcare Ministry gathered to speak about the state program of psychic healthcare in the working meeting organized by the Public Defender of Georgia and discussed the follow-up activities from the previous meeting.

Deputy Minister of Labor, Healthcare and Social Welfare of Georgia Zaza Sopromadze spoke about the ongoing reforms and future perspectives in the field of psychiatric health. Among them, he spoke about the planned amendments in the funding methodology of the psychiatric care of children, which will be discussed by the Government of Georgia in nearest future. 

“Our participation in similar formats underline the readiness of our ministry to cooperate with different organizations or structures. As for the psychiatric healthcare, only one ministry cannot resolve this problem; it requires global approach. During our previous meeting we listed the issue, which are the most problematic for the interested parties. We expressed readiness to tackle those problems within our competence,” Zaza Sopromadze said.

He added there are several problems in the field of psychic healthcare which cannot be resolved only by the Ministry of Healthcare. 
“I can single out several problems: first of all, children’s psychiatry, second – funding mechanism and the third – re-hospitalization. The children’s psychiatry is the most sensitive part of psychiatry, and we will pay the most attention to it,” the deputy minister of healthcare said.

Executive director of the Foundation Global Initiative in the Psychiatry Nino Makhashvili informed the participants of the working meeting about the project “Expert Evaluation of the Privatization Process of Institutes of Psychic Health in Georgia” implemented by her organization. She said they are working on the evaluation report and the results will be soon published. 

“Two of psychiatric hospitals are already privatized. The privatization of other institutions is also planned. The state was not ready to participate in this process; they had not analyzed the risks and benefits. Our project aims to find out how the process is going on and what the investors strategic plans are. The survey covered many directions and at this stage I can say that the privatization process was not transparent,” Nino Makhashvili said.

The participants of the working meeting discussed the challenges in the field of psychic health including stationary and outpatient’s psychiatric assistance, quality medical assistance, issues related with the development of alternative field services. With regard to the latter, it was noted that participation of the local self-governmental bodies together with the central authority is very important to resolve the problems. 

Particular attention was paid to the privatization of the psychiatric institutions as well as unification and optimization of the institutions. The participants mentioned it was necessary to monitor the activities of the investors. 

The issue of psychic healthcare became urgent after the representatives of the NGOs and parent of the children with disabilities protested the 2017 Program of the Government. 

Representatives of the NGOs and parents of the children with disabilities told Netgazeti that 2017 action plan of the government hinders deinstitutionalization of the psychiatric institutions and integration of beneficiaries. The Ministry of Healthcare claims the amendments were done for the sake of the patients only.

Head of the Association for Psychic Health Manana Sharashidze said they refer to the 2017 State Programs of Healthcare, which reduced the funding of acute cases at 40%, did not increase funds for community based services, while psychiatric institutions of Gldani, Bediani, Kutiri and Surami were increased. 

Sharashidze said in 2017, they cancelled the state programs on acute cases, which were implemented by private hospitals. The amendments did not refer to referral hospitals. According to preliminary data, the agreement was already signed. 

After the working meetings of the Public Defender, the deputy minister of healthcare Zaza Sopromadze said the Ministry took the remarks of the NGOs and other interested parties into consideration and resolved the problem of insufficient beds in the children’s psychiatric hospital. Even more, the deputy minister said the children’s psychiatric hospital serves the children very well. Sopromadze said during one of his random visits he witnessed how children are treated, feed and cared. “From May 1, this problem was resolved but legalization of this reform takes time and I hope the government will manage to approve this reform soon.”

Zaza Sopromadze said the Ministry plans new amendments in the field of psychiatric healthcare from June 1. Ucha Nanuashvili summarized the meeting and noted that his office will continue similar working meetings, which will enforce consecutive solution of the problems in the field.

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