"The share of healthcare expenditure is not more than 3% of GDP, which is a low indicator," - healthcare policy expert Akaki Zoidze told BMGTV.
As Akaki Zoidze says, until out-of-pocket payments are reduced, there will be inequality and injustice in the healthcare industry.
"Inequality and injustice among them are directly related to the share of out-of-pocket expenses when it comes to urgent healthcare needs. Over the years since 2013, after the universal program was implemented, government spending has increased over 4 folds, but it's still at a low level.
In reality, healthcare spending share of GDP is not more than 3%, while the World Health Organization's recommendation is that it should be at least 5% for a country to have satisfactory coverage to protect the population from financial catastrophe.
In total, the share of government spending is 40% and the share of out-of-pocket expenses is 42%, which is a very high indicator. The share of out-of-pocket expenses should be less than 20% for us to be at a satisfactory level. We still have a long way to achieve universal coverage," noted Akaki Zoidze.
