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Can Tuberculosis Be Cured?

March 16, 2007

giorgib.gifThe main character of the article, Giorgi who was ill with the disease, was dead while the article was being prepared. He died two days ago. His brother is badly ill too.

Here you can read the interview, which Giorgi gave to the journalist of Human Rights’ Centre before his death.  
“Tuberculosis can be cured!” state the posters put up on the walls in hospitals and all medical offices. However, the disease is still incurable illness for socially excluded and impoverished people in the 21st century. 

“If you cannot believe us, you should go to the tuberculosis center and ask how much a bed in the hospital costs,” said the sick people.

A sick person should pay13, 70 GEL for a bed a night in the hospital. The price includes the treatment, nutrition and wages of medical personnel.

Giorgi Tsutskiridze was ill with tuberculosis. He was in the third department of the Abastumani tuberculosis hospital.

“I have spent nine months here and they could not lower my temperature yet,” said he.

“The hospital is not supplied with necessary medicines. There are only ‘Etambutoli’ and ‘Izoniazid” in the hospital and they fail to cure a patient,” said medical personnel from the hospital.

Hard social conditions and unemployment made the Tsutskiridzes’ family move to Tbilisi from Chiatura. Mother, father and two sons rented a one-room flat and started to look for a job in vain.

“One can get a job easier in Tbilisi, and we decided to move there. Unfortunately my brother got ill, he had measles and the doctors diagnosed he had a tuberculosis. Initially he was treated at Khudadovi Hospital in Tbilisi, then we brought him here; however he did not recover. He needs to be operated on,” said Giorgi Tsutskiridze.

Giorgi became infected with tuberculosis from his brother, because he could not avoid the illness in a small flat.

“We all looked after Mamuka. Initially he was at home. We have s small flat and I seem to have infected from him,” said Giorgi with his head lowered.

“A tuberculosis bacillus became stronger when it got into a strange body,” said doctors from the tuberculosis hospital, “Consequently Giorgi is in more complicated situation than his brother.”

“Giorgi suffers from total collapse on both lungs and infiltration,” said Olga Grechkina, a doctor for the Abastumani Tuberculosis Hospital.

Giorgi knows his health conditions very well. “Both of my lungs are collapsing. The medicines of the first degree cannot cure my illness. I need the medicines of the second degree,” he explained.

The medicines of the second degree are too expensive and they are not imported to Georgia for free. However, Giorgi has learned that a hospital for resistant sick people is opened in Zugdidi and patients are treated for free there.

“There is a hospital in Zugdidi where patients are treated with expensive medicines and there are five meals served a day. It is too difficult to get there; I cannot get in touch with the head of the program,” said Giorgi without any glimmer of hope.

The Georgian Deputy Minister of Healthcare, Koka Fruidze said that free treatment for the second resistant form will start in Georgia in January, 2008.

“Should sick people wait for death until January 2008,?!” asked the ill people.

“The Abastumani’s fresh air, that is good for such illness, cannot help him either,” said doctors form the hospital.

Other members of the family, father and mother, also face the danger of the disease. Mamuka lives with them.

Giorgi is dead. Mamuka’s glimmer of hope is in Zugdidi now.

Gulo Kokhodze, Abastumani

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