A 29-year-old prisoner who was transferred from Batumi prison to the Vivamedi clinic in Tbilisi after launching a hunger strike has fallen into a coma.
The family of prisoner Nodar Tatunashvili says he fell into a coma one week after being admitted to the clinic and has remained unconscious since. They claim they have received no updates about his condition.
Tatunashvili’s family says he resorted to a hunger strike in protest, demanding to be transferred from Batumi prison to Tbilisi.
His mother told TV Pirveli that the last information the family received about his health was when he entered a coma. The family alleges that improper medical treatment is to blame for his deteriorating condition.
“Today, I secretly came and stood outside. My son was lying in the room next door. I couldn’t see him, but I could tell from the doctors’ reactions that he was there. A doctor looked at me and shouted at someone, asking why I had been allowed in. Not a single person came out to tell me whether my son was alive or well. They could have at least shown me through the window that he was breathing,” the prisoner’s mother said.
A family member also accused clinic staff of failing to properly examine Tatunashvili’s condition.
“We only want to know whether the person is alive or not, and what has happened since yesterday. He was brought here [to Vivamedi], and we have been here every day. I asked a doctor to tell him my name and surname so I could be allowed in. When the doctor said my name, he showed no reaction. He did not recognize my sister. The doctor came out and told me he was ‘upset’ and not speaking to them — that this was his form of protest. They should have checked what was happening in his brain, but instead of conducting examinations, even someone with no medical knowledge looking at the tests would say he was healthy. They no longer ask Nodar anything. They give him 5% glucose, and when Dr. Tamar Davarashvili finishes work at 5 p.m., his blood pressure drops to the point that he has to be moved to intensive care. Based on yesterday’s information, his condition is extremely serious — his liver has started damaging other organs, and there are complications involving the brain,” the family member said.
No response from the clinic has yet been reported regarding the family’s allegations.
Header image: Tensions outside Vivamed Clinic
Image source: timer. ge
