Jandacva.ge
Public-Private Partnership (PPP) law that will allow a future co-ownership and co-management of medical institutions between the state and the private sector is currently being drafted by Georgia’s Ministry of Economy.
Deputy Minister of Health, Valeri Kvaratskhelia held a press conference outlining the Ministry’s current and future infrastructural projects. Kvaratskhelia noted that currently four clinics in Dedoplistskaro, Zugdidi, Lentekhi and in Kharagauli are under construction.
Construction of a modern 220-bed multifunctional university clinic will be completed by the end of 2016 in the village Rukhi. Residents of Apkhazia and surrounding villages will have access to this hospital. In addition, classrooms and libraries for medical students and residents will be available. Sports facilities, roads, pools and a hostel for patients and their families will also be built on the hospital’s area.
The new 25-bed hospital will be equipped according to the latest international standards in Dedoplistkaro, with high-quality and comprehensive medical service. As the Deputy Minister, Valeri Kvaratskhelia said, the medical center in Dedoplistskaro will serve residents of Dedoplitskaro, 16 of its surrounding villages, with a total of 32 531 inhabitants. The new medical center will start functioning in spring of 2016.
Construction of a 10-bed fully equipped clinic is scheduled for the fall of 2016 in Lentekhi. Kharagauli clinic will also be completed in the coming summer.
In addition to ongoing projects, Kvaratskhelia talked about Heal Ministry’s future projects as well. He said that the construction of National Center for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases for Children’s is planned in Georgia, which is due to be completed by the end of August 2016. A total of 60 million GEL is allocated for implementing these projects.
Ministry’s Tender on Ownership of Three Major Hospitals in Tbilisi
Apart from the current and future infrastructural projects, Valeri Kvaratskhelia commented on the Ministry’s recently announced tender on the management of three large state clinics in Tbilisi.
According to the Deputy Minister, Republican Hospital, Cancer Center and Children’s Infectious Diseases Hospital, were high-level multi-disciplinary medical institutions, established in cooperation of the state and the private sector.
“Three big institutions – Republican Hospital, Cancer Center and Children’s Infectious Diseases Hospital returned to the state. The competition on the selection of their future owners has already been announced by the Ministry. It will be a so-called “PPP” type of project, which entails a co-ownership and management of the hospitals by the state and the private sector together.”
“We at the Ministry believe this project is very important for our country at this moment. We think that PPP type of ownership is the best way to go around on managing these hospitals,” Kvaratskhelia said.
“Countries such as UK, Turkey and others have already implemented this kind of projects, so we can use their experience. These will be multi-functional and high-tech, so-called “Third level clinics”, in which only patients with most severe complications and diseases will be treated,” the Deputy Minister said.
Kvaratskhelia believes that this step is a very important one for the country and represents the best strategy.
According to Valeri Kvaratskhelia, the Ministry of Economy is currently working on drafting the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) law. There have been no such projects in Georgia previously, so there is no adequate law that could accommodate Health Ministry’s tender.
Expending the Medical Personnel for the Tender Hospitals
Deputy Health Minister said the Ministry is also planning on expending the medical personnel in these three hospitals.
“Medical staff could not be reduced, on the contrary – the number should be increased. As you know, due to the lack of resources, only 10 percent of the existing clinics currently operate in Georgia. According to the terms of the tender, the winning company has to train the staff,” Kvaratskhelia said.
In Deputy Health Minister’s words, the state has opened a new simulation center this year, in which the trainings of the future medical personnel of the three tender hospitals — Republican Hospital, Cancer Center and Children’s Infectious Diseases Hospital — will take place.
Each hospital will have approximately 570 beds and the managing company will hire medical personnel necessary to accommodate this number of patients. This process will be the prerogative of the future owner company, which is why the Ministry cannot name how many new personnel will be hired in the tender-participating hospitals.
