Guria Inhabitants Await First Aid in Vain

Guria Inhabitants Await First Aid in Vain

Recently, complaints about ambulances have been heard quite frequently, especially in the regions. The other day a young policeman died in Guria as a result of doctors arriving late. On 19th July in Lanchkhuti, the ambulance arrived forty minutes after a car accident, that incident was witnessed by an HRIDC journalist.

Several days ago, on 19th July, a journalist for the ‘Human Rights Information and Documentation Center’ witnessed a car accident. The blue ‘Zhiguli’ of some Lanchkhuti inhabitants, the Sulaberidzes, slipped on the wet road and fell into the ravine near Ureki railway station. According to eyewitnesses, similar car accidents occur frequently in Ureki, especially in the summer, when a lot of holiday-makers are visiting the seaside.

The driver was badly injured in the crash. The mother and child in the car were injured as well. Criminal police officers, at the police station near the accident, tried to get through to the first aid and patrol police numbers for several minutes. “Being in Ureki, I dial 022 and get through to the Ozurgeti patrol police. They say it is not their jurisdiction and advise me to get in touch with Lanchkhuti. But it is impossible to do so. We explain the situation but they repeat the same thing. We were trying in vain to find any aid for the injured people for ten minutes,” said a policeman who did not name himself, although other journalists were party to our conversation too.

After that we tried to let the patrol police know about the incident ourselves, although nobody paid any attention to us until we explained that we were journalists and wanted to call up the patrol police in Ureki.

The patrol police, having arrived at the place, also tried in vain to call the ambulance. Finally, the Lanchkhuti ‘03’ ambulance’s departure was confirmed - after one of our company managed to get in touch with his friend, a high-ranking official in the Healthcare Ministry. The Lanchkhuti ambulance arrived at the scene of the accident 43 minutes after the last call was made.

According to Ureki inhabitants, the small town has been left virtually without any care and the existence of at least one first aid unit is necessary. “We have applied to the local government about this several times, but nobody has paid any attention to us. When we call the Lanchkhuti first aid office, they tell us that we are under Ozurgeti supervision and we should call them. Ozurgeti responds to our calls and comes to aid our region, but the road is in such a poor condition that it takes them a long time to get to us. Meanwhile, the sick person might die. The nearest city is Photi, but their doctors deny us aid. So we are left to the mercy of fate,” declares Irma Didebulidze, who lives in Ureki.

One of the patrol policemen declared to us that their governing board had been informed about the situation but no steps have been taken yet. “A short time ago, one of our young policemen died for this reason. Two days ago, a young boy was drowning in the river and needed first aid after having been pulled out onto the bank. Doctors from Photi refused to help us and until I threatened the doctor by pointing my gun at him, he would not do anything. ‘If he dies, we would be responsible for it’, he said, ‘and why should I bother myself with a case which is not in my region?’ - can you imagine it?” - the patrol policeman could not contain his anger.

The population asks for help. They declare that they will take extreme measures and that they will place the person, who died because of this carelessness, on the Tbilisi- Batumi central highway if they are not listened to.

 Gela Mtivlishvili, Ureki