The Georgian Health Ministry announced on Wednesday that the Georgian Health Minister Zurab Azarashvili and his Turkish counterpart Fahrettin Koca have agreed on an “even closer” cooperation between the countries in the field of pharmaceuticals and medical services.
Azarashvili, who is on an official visit to Turkey, met with his Turkish counterparts to discuss collaborative healthcare projects and prospects of further development of cooperation. The focus of the discussions was on the import of high-quality medicines from Turkey to Georgia- a recent initiative of the Georgian Government aiming to reduce costs of medications in Georgia.
During his tour, the Georgian Minister will also pay visits to top Turkish enterprises to learn more about their operations and get “detailed information” about the Turkish industry from the Association of Pharmaceutical Enterprises.
The Georgian Health Ministry also stated a visit of Koca to Georgia had been agreed during the meeting.
Azarashvili started his official visit to Turkey yesterday and met with the top heads of the Turkish Agency for Pharmaceutical Products and Medical Equipment. The meetings saw the Georgian official get acquainted with the Turkish model of quality control and specifics of the work of the country’s healthcare system.
Irakli Garibashvili, the Prime Minister of Georgia, announced on Monday that general prices for medications on the local Georgian market had been reduced by 60-80 per cent following the import of medicines and supplies from Turkey, adding products such as cardiovascular medications had decreased from 220 GEL (about $68/€61) to 48 GEL (about $14/€13).
Earlier, the Government has also reduced the period for obtaining the license from 45 days to 7 days for prospective importers, thereby facilitating them with the removal of the procedural and regulatory barriers to expedite the importation process.
The initiative to reduce the general prices of pharmaceuticals for Georgian citizens was announced at the end of last year by the Georgian Government.
The pharma industry globally has been under immense pressure since the dawn of the pandemic. Countries have been under tremendous pressure as far as supplies of the pharmaceuticals. Global trade of pharma products comes as a rescue out of this deficit situation.
