Jandacva.ge
Former Foreign Minister of France Bernard Kouchner visits Georgia for the second time this year to assist and support the country to reform its healthcare system.
Kouchner, who is the board chairperson of the Global Alliance health organisation and co-founder of the union Doctors without Borders, arrived to Georgia on Thursday after being invited by the country’s Health Minister Davit Sergeenko. Mr.Kouchner held his meetings with civil society and non-governmental organizations in the field of healthcare.
On the meetings at National Center for disease control and public health, challenges of Georgia’s healthcare and current reforms were discussed.
Bernard Kouchner outlined primary health system as one of the important elements of overall health system he noted that every citizen needs to have access to primary health. Implementation of reform is very hard and is full of obstacles, so Global Alliance will support Georgian government to find solutions and solve issues. The Ministry of health is on the way to increase the quality and access to healthcare.
“I am here to support the reforms and the Ministry. Primary care reform will take months and months, to cover the whole Georgia, but things are going fast in here much more than in other countries. Georgian government wants to provide their people with the same access, diagnosis and same treatments despite of financial conditions” Kouchner said.
However, B. Kouchner also commented on the project for the reconstruction of 3 hospitals in Tbilisi Georgia, which will be implemented in the framework of public private partnership.
“In Europe, health care is one of three leaders of the sectoral priorities for cooperation of government and business in the framework of PPP. I am a supporter of such a form of cooperation for one simple reason: it allows to achieve the implementation of national level projects in the health sector at lower financial costs from the state. And all this within a reasonable timeframe, which is also important. Georgia is planning a reconstruction of 3 national hospitals in Tbilisi. And in this situation, PPP guarantees high quality standards of reconstruction, installation of modern diagnostic equipment, staff training, creation of new modern laboratories etc…,” Kouchner noted.
Bernard Koucher ended his visit on Friday and he will actively take part in the implementation of upcoming and current reforms in Georgian healthcare.
