Health

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Building of the health ministry in Tbilisi. Image via Tabula

Georgia

Georgian pharmaceutical companies fined for cartel price fixing

by Shota Kincha

•1 min read

Several Georgian pharmaceutical companies have been fined almost $20 million for raising the prices of cancer drugs in a ‘concerted fashion to restrict competition’. On Friday, Georgia’s National Competition Agency fined four pharmaceutical companies — Aversi, Gepha, PSP, and Mermisi — for overcharging for medications used in cancer treatment provided by the state. The agency reported that the prices of medication sold by the companies ‘were found to coincide with an accuracy of 1 tetri’.

Ramzan Kadyrov (left) and Elkhan Suleymanov (right). Image via social media.

Chechnya

Allegations surface that doctor ‘disappeared’ after treating Kadyrov

by Luiza Mchedlishvili

•2 min read

A Russian Telegram channel has published an investigation alleging that Chechnya’s former health minister, Elkhan Suleymanov, had ‘disappeared’ after giving medical injections to Chechnya Head Ramzan Kadyrov. Suleymanov had formerly served as the republic’s deputy prime minister prior to his alleged disappearance in October 2022. VChK-OGPU, a Telegram channel that claims to conduct political investigations in Russia, on Sunday and Wednesday published reports on Suleymanov’s ‘disappearance

Achondroplasia

Achondroplasia added to diseases eligible for state support in Georgia following 19-day protest

by Tata Shoshiashvili

•2 min read

Achondroplasia, a genetic bone growth disorder that causes dwarfism, has been added to the list of rare diseases eligible for state-funded treatment, after parents of children with the condition held a 19-day continuous protest outside the government chancellery. The amendment to the resolution on state healthcare programmes for 2023, adopted on 30 December 2022, was introduced on 22 May and signed by Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili. A group of parents of children with achondroplasia beg

Ketevan Begiashvili (centre): Mother of 13-year-old Zako Mushkudiani. Co-founder of Little People from Georgia. Shota Kincha/OC Media.

Achondroplasia

Parents of children with rare genetic disorder protest lack of medicine

by Shota Kincha

•3 min read

A group of parents of children with achondroplasia, a genetic bone growth disorder, have been protesting continuously in front of the Government Chancellery for the past five days to demand the state provide the medicine needed to treat their children. The parents, supported by members of several political parties and civil society groups, attempted to block the road near the government offices but were stopped by the police. On Sunday, the protesters marched along Rustaveli Avenue before re

Paramedics and ambulance drivers protesting in Tbilisi on 17 January. Image via Interpressnews.

Georgia

Georgian paramedics protest working conditions and pay

by Tata Shoshiashvili

•2 min read

Paramedics and ambulance drivers have taken to the streets to protest deteriorating working conditions and inadequate pay. The protest took place in front of the Emergency Situations Coordination and Urgent Assistance Centre in Tbilisi on Tuesday, and was supported by the Medical Trade Union. The protesting emergency medical staff were demanding a 100% increase in their wages and the dismissal of managers at the Emergency Coordination Centre. This is the latest in a series of protests he

COVID-19

Georgian doctor charged with fatal negligence of a patient in COVID shot allergic reaction

by Shota Kincha

•2 min read

The Prosecutor’s Office has charged a doctor for failing to provide emergency medical assistance to their coworker, nurse Megi Bakradze, when she experienced a fatal allergic reaction to the COVID vaccine in 2021. Both Bakradze and the unnamed doctor who administered her COVID-19 jab worked at the Imedi clinic in Akhaltsikhe in southwestern Georgia. Bakradze, 27, lapsed into a coma 20–30 minutes after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine on 18 March, and died of complications a day later. She

Analysis

Datablog | How has Georgia changed in the last decade?

by Givi Silagadze

•4 min read

A recent survey suggests that Georgians tend to believe that poverty, crime, and corruption have increased in the last decade, while affordable healthcare has become more accessible. However, available public data does not always match these assessments. Recent public opinion surveys suggest that Georgians feel increasingly worried about where the country is headed. As of August 2022, less than a quarter of the electorate believed that Georgia was going in ‘the right direction’. While the