Immunization is one of main priorities in Georgia
By Tea Mariamidze
Friday, October 16
Immunization is one of the main priorities of the country and we will do everything to take care of our population, the Chair of the Health Care and Social Issues Committee, Dimitri Khundadze, stated at the joint briefing with the Director of The Sabine Vaccine Institute of American Organization of Sustainable Immunization Financing Program, Mike McQuestion.
Khundadze noted that the Government considers immunization as one of the most necessary directions important for disease management, risk reduction and cost-effective protection of health of population.
“The Georgian Government will assume 100% of the financing responsibilities for immunization in 2018 and will allocate 11 ml GEL annually. In 2015, compared to 2012, the costs for the immunization of every citizen increased by 5.5 times, which is one of the highest indices in the region,” he said.
The Chair of Health Care and Social Issues Committee underlined that preparation is necessary for the state to fully take care of the immunization process and the involvement of The Sabine Vaccine Institute in this process is very important.
According to Mike McQuestion, immunization is one of the important aspects of healthcare transition and in this direction, Georgia is one of the most rapidly-developing countries.
“We are determined that every country will achieve the complete immunization of their respective populations. A number of diseases, such are Polio, Tetanus and others, are practically disappearing in Georgia. It is the greatest progress, requiring cooperation between Parliament, Government and society. So, this aim is for public welfare, it is a goal requiring the involvement of all agencies and society and organizations like our institute to support your society in coordination and joint actions by your agencies,” said McQuestion.
The Director of The Sabine Vaccine Institute also noted that it is very important to provide the population with the necessary information, which will increase their involvement in the immunization process.
It should be noted that the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the period until 2020 as the decade of immunization, and developed an action plan for global vaccination, signed by 53 member states, including Georgia. The document is an effort to establish successful immunization program management practices and the achievement of sustainable financing. New vaccines and technological management are significant challenges for sustainability of immunization program, pushing the countries to develop the complex approaches.
