WHO high official: Georgia’s health reforms should be example for other countries
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A senior official from the World Health Organisation (WHO) is praising Georgia for the reforms the country has implemented in recent years.
WHO Regional Director for Europe Zsuzsanna Jakab, who is on an official visit to Georgia, said Georgia with its reforms, must be an example for other countries.
"I’m impressed by the reforms that are being implemented in Georgia. The country is going in the right direction,” the WHO official said.
"I’ve said it many times and I’ll repeat it that Georgia with the reforms it has implemented must be an example for other countries.”
Jakab drew attention to two main projects Georgia has introduce:
- The Universal Healthcare Program, and
- The Hepatitis C Elimination Program.
Jakab stressed the availability and access to medical services in Georgia had increased in comparison to previous years.
She added Georgia was a regional leader in developing the health sector.
"This is the biggest investment you make in prevention, healthcare and economy too because poor public health is a big burden on the country’s economy,” she said.
Jakab confirmed WHO’s readiness to support the Georgian Government in its reforms and offer its help in areas Georgia still needs to develop.
More than 25 people from Georgia’s two Russian-occupied regions have asked for and received Georgian passports so they can benefit from the free Hepatitis C treatment program Georgia offers its citizens.
China is offering about $9 million to improve the health of the Georgian population.
The Government of Georgia will provide free vitamins and minerals for thousands of socially vulnerable babies to ensure they have a healthy start at life.
The Office of the Personal Data Protection Inspector of Georgia adopted a range of recommendations related to how the medical profession processes personal health information.
Twenty thousand people suffering from Hepatitis C in Georgia will receive free treatment this year and potentially enjoy 100 percent recovery thanks to an offer from American pharmaceutical firm Gilead to provide a new medicine to Georgia for free.
Georgia’s Minister of Health, Labour and Social Affairs Davit Sergeenko says the treatment of Hepatitis C will continue in Georgia until the virus has been eliminated from the country and all sufferers are cured.
Georgia’s Ministry of Health is piloting a project at more than a dozen hospitals in a bid to reduce the number of deaths among new mothers and their babies.
The cost of medicines in Georgia will soon be 30 percent cheaper. The Government is about to implement "one of the biggest projects” in the healthcare sector to develop the country’s hospitals and pharmaceutical industry.
The Ministry of Labour Health and Social Affairs of Georgia will finance the cost of treatment for patients with early stage breast cancer in Georgia’s regions.
The number of abortions reported in Georgia has slightly decreased since 2012. Official statistics released today showed the most abortions occurred in women aged 20-44.
Georgia is taking a step into the future by launching an electronic prescription system that will enhance safety and quality of how medicines are prescribed by doctors.