Gov’t offers medication discounts to pensioners, people with disabilities
PM Mamuka Bakhtadze stated that it is currently difficult for certain groups in Georgia to buy necessary medicines. Photo: N. Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze has announced that pensioners and people with disabilities will enjoy 50 to 80 per cent discounts for chronic disease medications.
Bakhtadze vowed that the Georgian government aims to take further steps to ease the public’s medication-related expenses.
In 2013, the Georgian government launched an unprecedented healthcare reform and introduced a universal healthcare programme enabling all citizens to receive medical services previously unavailable to them because of financial barriers.
In 2017, we started the second phase involving a 50 per cent discount on 23 different medications for the most widespread chronic diseases. Discounts on some drugs were raised as high as 80 per cent,” Bakhtadze said.
He stated that since September 3, discounts have been available for citizens of retirement age and persons with limited abilities.
As for socially vulnerable citizens, medications have been available, mostly for a symbolic price, for over a year. Besides these groups, the government made a decision to provide a 50 per cent discount on diabetes medications for the entire population, regardless of age or social status. Notably, the high quality of all medications under this program have been confirmed by the World Health Organization," Bakhtadze said.
Bakhtadze stated that the program continues to expand and, in the near future, it will include more medications and beneficiaries.
A recently imposed restriction on medicines in Georgia will be lifted for more than 750 medicines.
Pharmacies across the country have been busier than normal as people rush to stock up on medicines before new rules restricting the sale of thousands of medicines is enforced in Georgia.
Georgian Health Minister David Sergeenko has stated that a certain category of Georgian citizens will receive ambulatory medicines free of charge or at a highly discounted price.
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 socially vulnerable population of Georgia and people with disabilities will soon be able to buy more medicines at a symbolic or halved price starting next year, with medicines for epilepsy and Parkinson’s being added to the list.
Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze has spoken about major political, social and cultural achievements in 2018 while presenting the government’s 2018 report.The PM also spoke about the government’s future intentions in these directions.
Pensioners, persons with disabilities and other groups in Georgia will be able to buy 35 medications for 1 GEL to treat six kinds of chronic diseases, announced Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze today.
“Some companies put a 300-400% price tag on drugs in Georgia, which is unacceptable”, said Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili earlier today.
Acting Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has announced that socially vulnerable pensioners will receive 500 GEL vouchers to purchase various prescribed medications. At the municipal government session held earlier today, Kaladze said the new program will cost 20 million GEL and have 40,000 beneficiaries.