The clinics in Georgia are on the verge of a financial crisis - this is stated in a joint letter sent by 100 clinics to the Minister of Health.
The case concerns the rates of the Universal Health Care Program, which have been unchanged since 2013. Clinics note that today these rates do not even cover their expenditures.
The Ministry of Health is working on an alternative system, which provides the introduction of rates adjusted to DRG principles. Clinics call on the state to take steps in this direction.
According to Giorgi Gotsadze, president of the international foundation "Curatio", the main thing is not that about 100 clinics have signed the statement, but the main thing is that if the necessary steps are not taken, the quality of service provided to the users of these 100 clinics will decrease.
"I would like to appeal to the political leadership of this country that universal health care was a political priority and remind that until 2017, every November we added 80-90 million GEL to the universal health care program in order to provide and maintain this benefit to the people. After 2017, this trend stopped, and the money invested in health care may seems large in absolute terms, but relative to the economy and GDP, it is decreasing. Let's return to this political priority - health care.
I would like to advise the Health Committee of the Parliament not to neglect the health of the population.
The statement of 100 clinics was spread, but the main thing here is not what these 100 clinics said, the main thing is that when the customer goes to these 100 clinics, their medical services are in danger. They will not receive adequate services, instead of having one nurse for every 10 patients, we will have one nurse for every 30 patients because the sector will have to cut costs and this will translate back into quality.
I would like to urge the Ministry of Finance to really review the financing of the universal health care program. When the political leadership saw this excess, they were afraid to invest even more money and realized that a large part of the money is being spent inefficiently and held back, but it has already held back beyond its size and cannot be done. The sector is dying, the population is dying. I would like to ask the Ministry of Finance to review these issues and maybe somehow provide the additional funds that the sector needs. It can be indexation, as well as a new DRG rate; All this must be done in time", said Giorgi Gotsadze.
