2019-12-27
"We are partners and allies in the successful development of the Universal healthcare system in the country; except for patients, we will fail to explain to anyone better than you what success and benefits have been brought by the Universal Healthcare Program" noted Giorgi Gakharia, Prime Minister of Georgia at a meeting with healthcare service providers.
At a meeting held with almost 100 managers of medical clinics from all over the country, Head of Government of Georgia focused on the achievements and challenges of the Universal Healthcare Program in Georgia.
"Universal Healthcare Program has given an opportunity to citizens of Georgia and primarily to the socially vulnerable ones to care for their health and save life at large. It is a positive social obligation of the State, which should have been delivered by the State. Nevertheless, we need to confess that this has become a reality since 2012. In recent years, patients have clearly benefited and industry has received its preferences. Sector has advanced in terms of its infrastructure, technologies and knowledge. A lot of new and successful initiatives and novelties were introduced to the sector. Success of the Universal Healthcare Program is such a significant achievement of not only the Government and you, but of each citizen and this country, that it bounds us all to take any action it takes to preserve the system. Though it should be pragmatic, justified and ultimately aimed at the maintenance of human health for citizens of Georgia. Hence, we understand it well that we will have to have a certain, open and candid dialogue here. For instance, we will need to talk about the anomalous 800 000 nosologies that got referred in recent years. We will also need to speak about anomalously high share of urgent medical treatments, which exceeds 85%. We will also need talk about the rationale as the State aimed to help its citizens by introducing the scheme, nowadays the out-of-pocket payments by patients are so high that citizens do not even feel who is covered under the Universal Healthcare" added the Prime Minister of Georgia.
Head of Government of Georgia confirmed the readiness of the national authorities to take measures for maintaining the sustainability of the Universal Healthcare System, thereby focusing on the need of cooperation from the side of healthcare service providers.
"We should take certain steps from our side and you should come forward as well. Back in 2016, when the World Bank commissioned a study of the Georgian Healthcare System, it gave a straightforward recommendation to the Government of Georgia to immediately advance towards the hospital sector reform and diagnosis-related groups (DRG), selective contracting and consolidated procurement. Otherwise, countries of such economic development as Georgia, where the healthcare system did not function properly after the soviet rule, would find it hard to maintain the sustainable healthcare system. We have achieved such a huge progress towards not only the financing, but also development of the healthcare sector and creation of new clinics within the Universal Healthcare Program, that it is our shared goal to preserve it all so that ultimately our citizen remains the winner. By the number of patient beds at hospitals we are ahead of many European countries, which simply means that ineffective or excessive financial resources were injected into the sector. Degree of competition, which exists today, unfortunately facilitated the deterioration of quality instead of improving it" noted the Prime Minister of Georgia.
Head of Government of Georgia stated that authorities stand ready to accept the objective criticism and respond to the subjective one.
"Key principle of our economic policy is simple - support towards Georgian business, which should become stronger to share the social responsibility with the State after a while. We can create such empowered private sector in Georgia that will be ready to bear the social responsibility together with the State. It is the basis of their sustainable development as well as the social responsibility is a foundation of a sustainable development of the country, which was identified in 2012 when the Universal Healthcare Program was introduced. When we talk about the need of modernizing it today, we aim for its sustainability and success" concluded the Prime Minister of Georgia.
Head of Government of Georgia met the healthcare service providers today together with Ministers of Internally Displaced Persons from Occupied Territories, Health and Social Security of Georgia; Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia; Finance of Georgia.
Prime Minister's Press Office