Health Ministry to finance early testing for oncology patients, says candidate for Minister
Zurab Azarashvili, the candidate for the Minister of Health of Georgia, on Monday said the body would start financing early testing for patients with oncological illnesses “in the near future”. Photo: Ministry of Health
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Zurab Azarashvili, the candidate for the Minister of Health of Georgia, on Monday said the body would start financing early testing for patients with oncological illnesses “in the near future”.
Azarashvili said the needs of citizens with oncological diagnoses were “under special attention”.
Since last year, services of chemo, hormone and radiation therapy, as well as surgical oncology have been financed for all citizens of Georgia”, the candidate Minister noted.
He added international cooperation for the domestic programme offering treatment abroad for children with oncological diagnoses would “lay the foundation” for the development of children's oncology services in Georgia.
The programme was launched in 2023 and ensures “high-quality” and “high-tech services” for children in six partner clinics in Spain, Israel and Turkey, Azarashvili said, adding 50 patients had benefited since its launch.
The official also said the Ministry had started working on a project for training young oncology doctors at “leading foreign clinics”.
Georgian Health Minister Zurab Azarashvili on Monday said the Ministry was ensuring “daily” monitoring of oncological and other medical drugs in the domestic pharmaceutical market, following the National Competition Agency’s fining of pharmacy networks last month for price-fixing.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday said the Government would allocate an additional ₾65 million ($23 mln) to the Healthcare Ministry to finance early treatment for oncology patients in next year's budget, with a total spending of ₾7.8 billion ($2,873).
Hormone therapy, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and medicines will be financed for all oncology patients throughout Georgia, the Ministry of Health said on Wednesday.
The Georgian Government will fully finance treatment of children with oncological diseases in medical institutions of Israel, Spain and Turkey after signing a deal on cooperation with partner clinics on Monday, the Health Ministry announced.
The Ministry of Health on Wednesday said 10 centres for dialysis had been launched across Georgia this year to bring the service closer to patients.