40-year-old man in need of urgent medical care dies in Russian-occupied Tskhinvali

Since September 4, 2019 15 individuals have died in Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region because they did not have access to vitally important healthcare services as the region has been in isolation for months. Photo: Giorgi Aptsiauri/RFE/RL.

Agenda.ge, 15 Jul 2020 - 14:05, Tbilisi,Georgia

40-year old Gela Gariev has died in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region, as local doctors could not diagnose his medical problem and offer him appropriate care, reports RFE/RL.

RFE/RL says that as local doctors could not diagnose Gariev’s problem over the past two days, they decided to take the latter to the hospital in Akhalgori district. The patient was already unconscious when he was transferred to the hospital and he died there.

RFE/RL also reports that Gariev suffered from low blood pressure. He was living alone, was unemployed and only his neighbours supported him. As his brothers were living on Tbilisi-controlled territory, he wanted to go with them in order to receive quality medical assistance in the capital city, though due to closure of the so-called border he was unable to do so.

Doctors did not pay attention to the patient in Akhalgori hospital. No autopsy was performed in order to find the reason for his death. His relatives and family members from Tbilisi-controlled territories were not allowed to cross the so-called border to attend the funeral”, RFE/RL reports.

Since September of 2019, the de-facto government of Tskhinvali has closed its so-called borders to the entire Georgia. Locals are not able to receive high quality medical assistance and are often not allowed to enter Tbilisi-controlled territory for medical services by the occupation forces. 

Since September 4, 2019 15 individuals have died in Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region because they did not have access to vitally important healthcare services as the region has been in isolation for months.