Deputy Health Minister: 30 children with oncology diagnoses complete treatment abroad, return to Georgia

Georgian Deputy Health Minister Tamar Gabunia on Friday said 30 children with oncology diagnoses had completed treatment abroad and returned to Georgia, adding the patients benefited from the state programme financing the oncological treatment of children in foreign medical institutions and now they continued health monitoring in Georgian clinics.

The programme was launched last August with 92 children having received the relevant treatment abroad and currently, with three more children joining the programme, Gabunia noted and pointed out that six clinics were involved in the programme, out of which four were in Turkey and others in Spain and Israel.

The Deputy Health Minister stressed the treatment of the children amounted to ₾5.5 million ($1.96 mln), adding there was no restriction on the inclusion in the programme of those with a confirmed cancer diagnosis.

She explained that a special council, composed of international experts involving doctors of the Georgian diaspora, evaluated the condition of a patient before joining the programme and advised on which medical institution was better to send a particular patient to. 

“The Ministry has certain statistics, what type of problems we may encounter, which may not be thoroughly managed in the partner clinics", the Deputy Minister said, adding to this effect the body planned to expand the number of clinics for cooperation.