Tbilisi hosts international health conference

International health officials, experts and political leaders have gathered in the Georgian capital to discuss modern medical challenges.

Today Tbilisi hosted the conference Healthcare Challenges in the 21st Century - Georgia and the World.

The international conference was attended by Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and former Foreign Minister of France Bernard Kouchner, who is the board chairperson of the Global Alliance health organisation and co-founder of the union Doctors without Borders.

Garibashvili begin his speech by thanking Kouchner for his support not only now but back in 2008 when the then French Foreign Minister came to Georgia to stand by the country as it faced Russian aggression.

"We will never forget this,” Garibashvili said.

The PM talked about the recent health reforms implemented in Georgia and said human's rights and their health was his Government’s top priority.

He also assessed the Hepatitis C elimination program as a success.

"We are a country who began fighting against this deadly virus and who aimed to fully eliminate it,” the PM said.

"I’m happy that today Hepatitis C treatment is available to everyone in Georgia and we already have people who have almost fully beaten the virus.”

Garibashvili said the successful first phase of the program made it possible for the second phase to be launched this year, which would soon see "this big problem” finally be solved.

Kouchner also talked about the health situation in Georgia and said the country had recently implemented many successful reforms in this direction. He recommended the Georgian Health Ministry to keep this pace and always be in close communication with the public.