Minister of Health Mikheil Sarjveladze says that the recent rise in healthcare costs should not be interpreted as a reduction in access to medical services for vulnerable populations. Speaking at the IV International Conference on Competition and Consumer Rights Protection, the minister emphasized that the state continues to fully guarantee access to healthcare for socially vulnerable groups.
“Studying healthcare inflation issues is, of course, an important and noteworthy topic, but we should not interpret it as meaning that access to any service for vulnerable groups has somehow become more expensive,” Sarjveladze said. “The state has taken upon itself all the functions and obligations that help these groups access medical services. This is certainly not a problem that burdens the vulnerable population.”
The minister also cautioned against using the topic of healthcare inflation for political or public speculation, stressing that the government’s programs are designed to shield vulnerable citizens from the impact of price increases in the healthcare sector.
According to official data, in October 2025, prices in the healthcare group increased by 8.9%, contributing 0.75 percentage points to annual inflation. The sharpest price increases were observed in outpatient medical services (9.3%), hospital services (9.2%), and medical products, equipment, and devices (8%).
