The News in Brief
Tuesday, June 15
Law on medical activity toughened
The law on medical activity will be toughened. Under the amendments the Ministry of Healthcare will control doctors’ activities and the standard of medical institutions.
This control will be introduced in stages. Doctors working without certificates and ambulatories not meeting the required standards will be fined. The level of fine has not been determined so far.
Lawmakers will discuss the amendments at the Parliamentary Bureau session on June 14.
(Prime News)
Levan Vephkhvadze: reformer and reactionary factions will emerge in spring
Christian Democrat Levan Vephkhvadze is sure that groups of so called reformers and reactionaries will emerge within the Government team from spring. He says that a fight for succession will start from spring and the two groups will emerge as a result.
The opposition Deputy is sure that some Government members will want the National Movement to remain in power with Saakashvili and some without him. Vephkhvadze doesn’t say who he thinks will lead either group.
Gigi Ugulava gives blood
Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava has given blood to the blood bank on the international day of donors.
Gigi Ugulava and other members of the Tbilisi municipal government went to the Blood Donation Centre on June 14. Ugulava appealed to the Tbilisi population to remember those who need blood and donate their blood in order to help them.
(Prime News)
Environment Ministry employees arrested
Officers of the Constitutional Security Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, following a wide scale operation, have detained members of an organised criminal group operating within the Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources, these being nine employees of the Environmental Protection Inspectorate and two of the Forestry Department, Rustavi2 reports.
The employees are alleged to have misused their authority and conducted corrupt dealings with entrepreneurs, extorting different quantities of cash for helping them engage in illegal production involving the exploitation and utilisation of natural resources.
The offence carries a term of imprisonment of up to 11 years. An investigation is being conducted by officers of the Constitutional Security Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
(Interpressnews)
Labour Party proposes draft law protecting Orthodox Church
The Labour Party has prepared a draft law which will make it illegal to abuse religious sensibilities, the Georgian Orthodox Church and religious figures. The party has already submitted this to Parliament for consideration.
Party leader Shalva Natelashvili spoke about the contents of the draft law at a briefing yesterday. He said that the Georgian Church was legally unprotected, accusing the Government of Georgia of provoking attacks on clergymen and religious feelings.
(Rustavi 2)
840 graduates boycott repeat examinations at TSMU
840 graduates of the Tbilisi State Medical University have boycotted their residency examinations, objecting to the inadequacy of the exams taken a year ago. The graduates assembled outside the university yesterday and disrupted the examinations, saying that they had passed the same tests last year but had not been given residencies - the highest level of medical study in Georgia.
The protestors say they have been waiting for their enrolment as residents since last September, but no such status has been granted to any of them due to the failure of the Healthcare Ministry to fulfil its obligations to the budget funded clinics. The 840 graduates demand that they be granted the status of residents without having to take further examinations.
(Rustavi 2)
The law on medical activity will be toughened. Under the amendments the Ministry of Healthcare will control doctors’ activities and the standard of medical institutions.
This control will be introduced in stages. Doctors working without certificates and ambulatories not meeting the required standards will be fined. The level of fine has not been determined so far.
Lawmakers will discuss the amendments at the Parliamentary Bureau session on June 14.
(Prime News)
Levan Vephkhvadze: reformer and reactionary factions will emerge in spring
Christian Democrat Levan Vephkhvadze is sure that groups of so called reformers and reactionaries will emerge within the Government team from spring. He says that a fight for succession will start from spring and the two groups will emerge as a result.
The opposition Deputy is sure that some Government members will want the National Movement to remain in power with Saakashvili and some without him. Vephkhvadze doesn’t say who he thinks will lead either group.
Gigi Ugulava gives blood
Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava has given blood to the blood bank on the international day of donors.
Gigi Ugulava and other members of the Tbilisi municipal government went to the Blood Donation Centre on June 14. Ugulava appealed to the Tbilisi population to remember those who need blood and donate their blood in order to help them.
(Prime News)
Environment Ministry employees arrested
Officers of the Constitutional Security Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, following a wide scale operation, have detained members of an organised criminal group operating within the Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources, these being nine employees of the Environmental Protection Inspectorate and two of the Forestry Department, Rustavi2 reports.
The employees are alleged to have misused their authority and conducted corrupt dealings with entrepreneurs, extorting different quantities of cash for helping them engage in illegal production involving the exploitation and utilisation of natural resources.
The offence carries a term of imprisonment of up to 11 years. An investigation is being conducted by officers of the Constitutional Security Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
(Interpressnews)
Labour Party proposes draft law protecting Orthodox Church
The Labour Party has prepared a draft law which will make it illegal to abuse religious sensibilities, the Georgian Orthodox Church and religious figures. The party has already submitted this to Parliament for consideration.
Party leader Shalva Natelashvili spoke about the contents of the draft law at a briefing yesterday. He said that the Georgian Church was legally unprotected, accusing the Government of Georgia of provoking attacks on clergymen and religious feelings.
(Rustavi 2)
840 graduates boycott repeat examinations at TSMU
840 graduates of the Tbilisi State Medical University have boycotted their residency examinations, objecting to the inadequacy of the exams taken a year ago. The graduates assembled outside the university yesterday and disrupted the examinations, saying that they had passed the same tests last year but had not been given residencies - the highest level of medical study in Georgia.
The protestors say they have been waiting for their enrolment as residents since last September, but no such status has been granted to any of them due to the failure of the Healthcare Ministry to fulfil its obligations to the budget funded clinics. The 840 graduates demand that they be granted the status of residents without having to take further examinations.
(Rustavi 2)