Health Care, Disease Control, Crime and Safety in Georgia

The health care system in Georgia is undergoing improvement and development. Unlike the western health care system, the country experiences a lot of difficulties and problems regarding its health care condition. There have been reforms by the government to improve on its current status by privatizing the system, but it is so fast paced that the country cannot stand up to it. There is lack of medical supplies and medical professionals in areas outside the big cities (T’bilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi) and these are due to lack of national funding allotted to health care. Hence, doctors and other medical professionals rather work outside the country because of lack of compensation. Moreover, doctors working in Georgia often expect patients and clients to pay first in cash before they render their service to them.

Malaria and tuberculosis are two diseases that cause lots of casualties in the country. Malaria cases have increased starting the year 1998 up to the year 2002. There are more cases of this illness in the western part of the country compared to the east. As for tuberculosis, it has been a cause of death for a number of years now, and still continues that way.

For people from other countries who want to visit Georgia, they should, in advance, have Hepatitis A and Rabies vaccines as well as diarrhea medicines. Giardia is an illness they call in Georgia which can be caused by taking in raw fruits and vegetables, swallowed water from baths, pools and Jacuzzis, unpasteurized milk and other dairy products, and non-potable water.