Respiratory system diseases most prevalent in Georgia

By Tea Mariamidze

Friday, August 2

In 2018, the number of registered cases diagnosed for the first time increased by 1.9%

The number of physicians increased by 14.6% last year

The most common type of diseases in Georgia is respiratory system diseases. The information is included in the Main Indicators of Healthcare 2018 report, prepared by Georgia’s National Statistics Office (Geostat).

The report reads that from 20 main disease groups the most common in the population are the following ones:
Diseases of the respiratory system - 33%
Diseases of the digestive organs - 17%
Diseases of the circulatory system - 8%
Eye and adnexa diseases – 6%
Urogenital system diseases – 6%
Injuries and poisonings – 6%
Infections and parasitic diseases – 5%
Other – 20%

Also, Geostat says the number of registered cases diagnosed for the first time is characterized by an increasing trend in most of the major disease groups compared to 2017.

In particular, infectious and parasitic diseases increased by 14.1%, neoplasms – by 10.3%, diseases of the digestive organs – by 30.7%, diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue – by 5.6%, diseases of musculoskeletal system and connective tissue – by 5.6%, diseases of urogenital system – by 3.8%, complications of pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal period – by 14.1%, certain conditions originated in the perinatal period – by 57.2%, congenital malformations - by 7.4%, injuries and poisonings – by 53.5%.

In addition, in 2018, the number of registered cases diagnosed for the first time increased by 1.9% compared to the previous year and amounted to 2001 cases, while last year, there were 1963 cases. In the previous ten years, this indicator reached a maximum level in 2015 when 2218 cases were registered.

Last year 271 hospitals operated in Georgia, with 16,000 hospital beds (In 2017 - 15.1 thousand). Utilization of one hospital bed amounted to 4.9 days (In 2017 - 5.2 days) and bed occupancy rate - 187.2 days (In 2017 - 180.5 days). The number of outpatient facilities totaled in 2283.

The number of visits to medical institutions equaled to 12 260 thousand, which is 6.7% more compared to 2017.

In 2018, 31.4 thousand physicians were employed in Georgia (central staff), increased by 3 995 units (14.6%) compared to the previous year when the country had 27.3 physicians.

Also, in 2018, the number of nurses increased by 0.4% compared to 2017 and amounted to 18 075 persons. Last year, there were 17998 nurses in the country.