According to Georgia’s official policy toward the occupied regions, the state is responsible to elaborate the proposals and formats for the peace process on the occupied territories and engage in the peace-making process. This policy also encompasses the provision of healthcare for the patients living on the occupied territories of Georgia (the Occupied Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia and Former Autonomous District of South Ossetia) within the frame of the Referral Service Provision State Program
In 2018, IDFI addressed the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Affairs of Georgia to request statistical information about the users of hospital services in 2014-2017. Based on the data received from the Ministry, IDFI published a report with key findings. In order to assess the effectiveness of the specific aspects of Georgia’s policy toward the occupied territories and to find out to what extent the persons living there have used the suggested programs since 2018, IDFI addressed to the Ministry once again in 2020. The organization requested the following information:
1. Statistical data about the users of Georgia’s Universal Healthcare System on the occupied territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2018-2020 according to the types of service and state expanses.
2. Statistical data about the users of Georgia’s Referal Service Provision State Program on the occupied territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in 2018-2020 according to the types of service and state expanses.
- Since 2017, there has been a decrease in the number of patients from Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region, using the referral program of Georgia. Also, the amount of money requested from the budget for funding them has decreased.
- Similarly to 2014-2017, 1,402 patients from Abkhazia and 424 from the Tskhinvali region applied to the referral program.
- Similarly to 2014-2017, in 2018-2019, within the frame of the referral program, the patients from the occupied regions of Georgia mostly addressed to the Georgian hospitals in the case of oncological and onco-hematological diseases.
- Within the frame of the Universal Healthcare Program, in 2018-2020, patients from the occupied regions of Georgia, mostly used ambulatory services. Totally, 817,675 GEL was spent on this.
- According to the amount requested from the budget, within the frame of the Universal Healthcare Program, the greatest amount was spent on the stationary (77,230,754.53 GEL), pre-planned surgical (12,255,903.54 GEL) and ambulatory (12,255,903.54 GEL) services.
- In 2018-2020, more people from Abkhazia referred to the Universal Healthcare Program than from the Tskhinvali region.
- In 2019, on the territory of Abkhazia as well as in the Tskhinvali region, the number of users of the Universal Healthcare Program increased compared to 2018 but then, until October 2020 there was a noticeable decrease, which can be related to the COVID-19 restrictions.
/public/upload/Analysis/ENG Statistics of the Use of the Georgian Healthcare Programs .pdf
This material has been financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida. Responsibility for the content rests entirely with the creator. Sida does not necessarily share the expressed views and interpretations.
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