Tbilisi Infectious Diseases Hospital suspends inpatient care due to ‘lack of basic conditions’

By Nika Gamtsemlidze

Monday, August 24

Tengiz Tsertsvadze says that the hospital cannot offer safety to their patients at this point.

The center was allowed to use GEL300,000 from its dividends for emergency work.

Health Minister Tikaradze said that the Hospital could be fined because of this decision.

Tengiz Tsertsvadze, Director General of the Center for Infectious Diseases and AIDS, said that the center was forced to temporarily suspend reception of patients infected with Covid-19 and HIV/AIDS 'because of obvious reasons.' According to Tsertsvadze, the hospital does not have a good enough environment to ensure the safety of their patients. Tsertsvadze explained this after the statement of the Chairman of the Parliamentary Health Committee, Dimitri Khundadze, who called the decision of the Center for Infectious Diseases and AIDS wrong.

Tbilisi Infectious Diseases Hospital is one of the main clinics involved in the fight against Covid-19 in Georgia. The facility has been receiving patients in a rented building, which, according to the representatives of the hospital, cannot offer basic conditions to the patients.

In July 2020, the government announced that it would build a new, GEL 40 million building for the Infectious Diseases Hospital. Until then, according to the head of the center, it is impossible to work in the existing conditions.

The center continues to receive outpatients with HIV AIDS, because, according to Tengiz Tsertsvadze, “the cessation of services for this category of patients would cause great fluctuations.”

“Covid-19 patients have nothing to worry about,” said Tikaradze, the Minister of Health. Also, according to her, in the case of HIV infection, the cloning leaving the program is required to apply to the social agency two months in advance before doing so which, as Tikaradze said, “Mr. Tsertsvadze did not do.”

According to Tikaradze, the clinic may be fined "10% within the framework of the work done last year" for violating the law. According to Tsertsvadze, the statement of the Minister is wrong.

The hospital was one of the main figures in the fight against the Covid-19. As the virus spread in the country, the hospital was very actively treating patients. As of today, there have been 1411 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Georgia, out of which, 1132 have already recovered.