Georgian Health Ministry rejects “misinformation” on children patients being prevented from receiving treatment abroad

The Georgian Health Ministry on Monday rejected claims by domestic media outlets on children patients of oncological illnesses not being able to benefit from the state programme covering costs of their treatment abroad.

The state body said “all families” who had applied to the Ministry with the requests for treatments abroad had received the aid.

The body added it had requested information about the claims from the Embassy of Georgia in France, with the diplomatic office not confirming the allegations patients in the country had failed to benefit from the support in receiving the medical services.

[T]he Georgian Health Ministry is implementing an important programme that fully finances the costs of treatment of children diagnosed with cancer. […] Parents of such children do not have to pay for medical services”, the body stressed.

The state body also said 13 individuals had already become beneficiaries of the state programme.

Three children will travel to receive medical institutions in Spain and Turkey in the next few days, while four other children are being consulted with hospitals, and will also start treatment abroad over the next few days”, the Ministry added.

Launched in August, the state programme gives an opportunity to children diagnosed with oncological diseases to receive funding for treatment in “leading medical institutions” around the world.