Georgia’s Competition and Consumer Protection Agency (GCCA) has begun monitoring the country’s medical services sector, a move Health Minister Mikheil Sarjveladze says is crucial for ensuring patients’ rights. Sarjveladze mentioned that the state will not tolerate practices that put economic interests above patient well-being.
The minister stated that recent claims from certain businesses and associations suggested that ‘dishonest practices’ may be used to increase profits or offset expenses. “Naturally, such claims have prompted the Competition Agency to investigate,” Sarjveladze said, adding that the study may uncover significant issues within the healthcare market.
He pointed to the GCCA’s recent review of pharmaceutical imports which exposed ‘completely abnormal practices,’ as a cautionary example. “I hope similar issues will not arise in the medical services sector, but if they do, the state will act uncompromisingly,” Sarjveladze stated.
The minister also mentioned that the government supports healthy competition but insists that economic gain must never come at the expense of patient welfare.
