Categories
Journalistic Survey
Articles
Reportage
Analitic
Photo Reportage
Exclusive
Interview
Foreign Media about Georgia
Editorial
Position
Reader's opinion
Blog
Themes
Children's Rights
Women's Rights
Justice
Refugees/IDPs
Minorities
Media
Army
Health
Corruption
Elections
Education
Penitentiary
Religion
Others

Kutaisi Will Have Just One Clinic

March 12, 2007

kabinerib.gif

The Georgian Government declared 2007 as a reform year in healthcare system. The reform might cause serious problems in Kutaisi.

The government speaks about re-investing of the medical institutions that exist in our country. The reform should be carried out under the general plan of the development of hospitals. The plan aims at replacing old hospitals with hundreds of new institutions that will be well-equipped and staffed with high qualified personnel.  The constructions of new hospitals will start as soon as the investor purchases the old buildings of clinics. However, it has become clear that the reform will be partly carried out in Kutaisi: The hospitals will be sold out but no new ones will replace them. (?!)

Maia Djafaridze is a doctor of one of the most famous hospitals in Kutaisi. Despite her professional experience, she does not exclude possibility that one day she will remain unemployed. “They are introducing the idea to the population step-by-step that so many hospitals are not necessary in the town. There is a new medical center is Kutaisi and that is quite enough for the district. Unfortunately, nobody cares about so many experienced doctors will remain unemployed. I think we should not be able to protect ourselves, and I do not believe the government will pay attention to us,” said Djafaridze.

Doctors are worried about the up-coming reform in Kutaisi. Giorgi Miminoshvili, doctor-in-chief for the Kutaisi Children’s Clinic # 1, speaks about future large-scaled unemployment. His clinic is one of existing thirteen hospitals in the district. Those hospitals served 20 000 children. Nearly 100 children visit the policlinics a day. After they are abolished it is obscure what kind of institution will take care of them.

“I suppose everything will be sold out and subsequently it will cause unemployment. I think there will be private insurance companies and the people who will involve the state programs will own private clinics. However, the medical service will be paid and poor people will have less access to it,” said Giorgi Miminoshvili.

Koka Fruidze, a Deputy Minster of Healthcare, said that “New hospitals will be built in every regional center. However in Kutaisi they are not going to build anything.” The reformatory government, having opened an Intervention Medical Center in Kutaisi last year, seems to think that there is no need to have more hospitals in the district. Kakha Nuralidze, director of the abovementioned center, thinks the same.

Hence these and some other factors, the authority is firm in its decision. Consequently, the future of Kutaisi based hospitals, medical personnel and potential patients is already settled. The sick people would have to take medical treatment at the hospitals in various regions of Georgia, because there are only 120 places for patients in the abovementioned medical center. As for the medical personnel of hospitals, who are at the edge of poverty, started to make loud statements about having their rights violated.

Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi

News