Oncologists of A. Gvamichava Oncology National Center have applied to Georgian medical society, the ministry of Labor, Health and Social Care, Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and the government with an open letter asking to discuss with them and solve the problems the clinic and this sphere face recently. Head of the Gynecological Department of Oncology National Center, Professor Tengiz Charkviani specifies the matter:
– What concrete demands do you have?
– We can’t say that we have exacting demands. We only ask them to express their free will regarding the case; if they do so, the problem can be solved. Today the center is handed to LTD Pegasus Pharmaceuticals Group that was founded in Canada by the order #1074 of Georgia’s president on November 18, 2010. The contract doesn’t foresee preserving and developing of medical sphere. The alienated property amounts to 61 852 square meter site and 45 128 square meter of construction of entire oncologic center. Privatizing cost equals USD 3 010 000 , which is a rather law evaluation of the property. Attitude towards medical sphere was quite deplorable on the part of the previous government in general – they didn’t care for the sphere and valued it only for commercial goals. Such attitude threatens not only the development, but also even existence of the branch and we surely see the signs of annihilation. According to the above said contract it considers preserving of the medical direction of the center for the period of only five years. What will be after the deadline? What will face the personnel and the branch in general? Oncologic center is being divided into pieces. Some of the departments have already been isolated. As it seems, the so called investor is interested only in maintaining the building itself and not the processes being carried out inside. According to the the future of the medical stock isn’t clear contract either. In the contract it is named as only “inventory” not clarifying what kind of inventory it is. We wonder if the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development used to check annually whether the other side followed contract paragraphs. According to the paragraph 3.7 the ministry was obliged to do it. We also turn to Labor, Health and Social Care Ministry to find out its position about the fact. They surely know how much energy, labor and time is needed for creation of such kind of center. They also know that for maintaining and developing of the field it’s necessary to have exactly this kind of universal center where coordinative work of personnel of different profile, mobility and united management is a real background for successful results. We ask for the Ministry to recheck the contract and take back oncological center as state property. We hope our letter will be echoed for the future of medical care of our society.
– How many people are employed in the center?
– Today there are employed only about 450 persons in the whole. I don’t mean only medical staff. There were 800 employees but as soon as the center was sold, they fired people and we expect even more dismissals.Oncology Center has been founded by honorable and prominent medical figures whose key aim was not only medical care of population but also creat com of a medical center, a research institute on the same basis which would become the leading school for development of the branch and this goal has indeed been achieved. Oncology Center functions as a universal medical organization for already 80 years. There the patients can coordinately and opportunely be examined and cured. Before 1990s this center was one of the well-known oncology centers in Eastern Europe, here came the branch specialists maintaining the theses and learning from our Georgian specialists.There worked approximately 32 professors and academicians and 70 candidates of science. Any kind of oncological operations are carried out in the center even now. Medical establishments having been isolated from the center can’t provide the requisite cure as the center itself. Talking about the traditions, I’d like to highlight the fact that this center has done great services to our country. Collapse of the system threatens existence of the branch itself. Its fate can’t be depended only on one private person’s will. It must be a subject of state’s care. The building of the center has been handed to foreign citizens for whom the issues connected with oncological field development in Georgia make no priority. So 80-year-old experience has been wasted.
– What kind of oncologic situation is in our country today? What are the statistical data of cancer in our population?
– Oncological statistics in Georgia today is the following: about 7 000 persons are annually infected with cancer and the number is increasing year by year. Solving of the problem greatly depends on preventative diagnostics and cancer prevention. Only creation of exact data base, correct statistics and opportune diagnostics can solve the problems connected with oncological diseases in Georgia.
