Georgian Health Minister Zurab Azarashvili stated on Saturday that the import of medicines and health-related supplies from the Turkish market has “significantly” decreased the costs of “dozens” of medical products in Georgia.
While commenting on the current initiative to import the pharmaceutical products from Turkey, Azarashvili noted the opponents of the move had questioned the quality of the medications manufactured in Turkey, pointing out the imported products were of “very high quality”.
Moreover, the initiative for importing pharmaceutical drugs from the Turkish market came last year from Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, citing a significant cost difference between drugs made under the Good Manufacturing Practices standard on the Turkish market in comparison with their price in Georgia.
Garibashvili predicted in March that the country’s medication prices had been cut by 60-80% as a result of the first batches of medications imported.
On Saturday, in his comments, the Health Minister also emphasised the efforts made by the Georgian Government to help the Ukrainian people in the wake of the Russian invasion into Ukraine. The Government has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine, while the Ukrainian citizens in Georgia have been offered emergency medical services free of cost, Azarashvili added.
In mid-February, the Georgian government has decided to allow the importation of medicines from Turkey while trying to cool down the prices of the drugs in the country, which will prove to be a respite for the masses and promote the competitive forces in the country.
Furthermore, medical products such as supplies and drugs for Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) had tremendously decreased from 220 GEL (about $68/€61) to 48 GEL ($14/€13),
Additionally, the Government also announced that a system of electronic prescriptions would be introduced starting in March, which will strengthen the competitive environment in the country.
The pharma industry globally has been under tremendous pressure since the dawn of the pandemic. Countries have been under immense pressure as far as supplies of the pharmaceuticals. Global trade of pharma products comes as a rescue out of this deficit situation.
