During the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, a meeting of a group of friends on public health was held at the UN headquarters in New York.
Georgia is a co-chair of the Friends Group on the issues of universal health. Minister of Health Mikheil Sarjveladze took part in the meeting as a co-chairman of the group.
Mikheil Sarjveladze talked about Georgia’s experience and focused on reforms implemented in the field of universal health care in the country.
The minister noted that since the launch of the Universal Health Care Program in 2013, the coverage index of the population has increased to more than 95%. According to him, the medical service package has gradually expanded, patient co-payments have decreased, and government spending on health care has increased.
According to the Minister, since the launch of the Universal Health Care Program, a number of important changes have been made in the direction of strengthening the health care system and improving the quality of services. Continuing this process is a new phase of reforms, one of the main directions of which is strengthening primary health care.
According to Mikheil Sarjveladze’s statement, the primary health care reform, starting in 2025, aims to strengthen disease prevention and early detection, improve the management of chronic diseases, and ensure continuity of medical services to the patient.
The minister also spoke about the reforms implemented in the direction of healthcare financing and quality improvement. Focused on mechanisms for quality assurance of medical services and the implementation of minimum wage standards for medical personnel.
Co-chairs of the Friends Group on issues of universal health care include Georgia, Japan, and Thailand. The meeting was attended by the Spanish Minister of Health, representatives of different countries’ governments and health care institutions.
