X-Ray for Debt, Treatment for Natural Reimbursement

Patients, who have medical policies, are demanded money for their treatment at the Gurjaani Hospital

According to the Ministry of Healthcare, in Kakheti region, nearly 90 000 people were granted with free medical policies within the framework of the “Poverty Reduction Program.” Thus, they can enjoy free medical treatment; however, many of them are stated at the Gurjaani District Hospital that the policies were abolished and nobody will be treated without money.

Last week, Makvala Merebashvili, a resident of the village of Chandari, went to the Gurjaani District Hospital. She had her hand broken and needed immediate medical assistance. However, the sick women was refused to aid her because of the policies are abolished. “I begged the doctor (I do not know his name) to x-ray me or bandage my hand and promised to pay the money when I receive the pension. However, nobody paid attention to me. Then one young woman, dressed in white gown, told me she would x-ray my hand but I was to pay her after I received the pension. She x-rayed me, which showed that my hand was broken. I needed to have my hand put in plaster. Then, they told me that they would get beans and eggs as reimbursement for my treatment. Though I live in a village I have neither beans nor eggs; I am very poor and I asked them to let me go if they were not going to treat me properly.  They did not put my hand in plaster. In the village I applied to a sorcerer. He wrapped the broken hand with honey and egg. I still have terrible pains in my hand and I have high temperature. I have no money to apply to a doctor. They told me the policies have been abolished and what shall I do? Shall I let them make fun of me again?” said Makavala Merebashvili.

There are some other people who complain about the board and doctors of the hospital. “I got very ill early in January and went to the hospital. I produced medical policy to them but the doctors told me the document was not valid anymore and would not treat me for free. I left the hospital without having received any kind of assistance. I hardly escaped the death after that,” said Lili Orvelashvili.

Employees for the Gurjaani District Hospital denied the accusations of the poor people. However, the deputy director of the hospital, Marina Natsauri, admitted that similar things might have really happened. She said that if the administration will have reliable information regarding the facts, they will find out the situation and prevent similar violations.

“The hospital is obliged to provide free medical assistance for extremely impoverished people according to the contract signed between the Gurjaani district Hospital and the Kakheti regional office of the Georgian State Social Aid Fund. The contract was signed on January 30 2007. However, there are occasions when sick people are refused free medical assistance and the reason is that the medical assistance is free only in urgent situations,” said representatives of the Human Rights Center’s Kakheti Office.

There is a resolution # 71, made by the director of the hospital, under which the patients with free medical policies must be treated at the reception department of the JSC Gurjaani District Hospital if they have their limbs slipped out, broken parts of the body, if they need to be put in the plaster, immobilization. Those people must be assisted if they have any wounds or need immediate surgical aid for preventing the purulent process of soft organs.
 
The extract of the resolution states that the patient must produce the copies of the policy and two copies of Identity Card when s/he applies to the hospital.

Although, our respondent produced the above-mentioned documents to the hospital, nobody bothered to assist her at all. She was treated at the hospital after the Human Rights Center got interested in the situation. After the fact, Orvelashvili visited the woman at her house, took her to the hospital and advised to keep silence regarding the incident.
 
Similar incidents frequently happened at the Gurjaani District Hospital in the past. Several sick people become victims of the inhumanity of the doctors who refused to treat the patients without money. However, nobody has showed any interest in this situation yet.

Gela Mtivliashvili, Kakheti