Cancer Patient Starts Hunger-Strike in front of the Georgian Ministry of Health

Natela Tamazashvili, a person with acute form of cancer requests her allowance from the Agency of Social Subsidies.

Tamazashviili received allowances within the Poverty Reduction State Program until February 2008. Before February their family had been scored with 54, 850 points in the data base for socially excluded families. In March of 2008 Natela Tamazashvili was taken to the National Cancer Center but the doctors refused to assist her because her medical card was not valid. Apparently, the Agency for Social Subsidies had increased the points of the family to 99, 590 without notice.

After the lawyers for the Human Rights Center interfered in the situation on July 4 2008 the family of Tamazashvili was awarded with a new point of 33, 480. The family was to receive a financial allowance based on the awarded points. However, no assistance has been provided so far.

The Human Rights Center applied to Andria Urushadze, the director of the Agency for Social Subsidies and the Ministry of Healthcare to find out the situation. However, none of them took an interest in the possible falsification of the data concerning the family.

The sick woman who cannot move is going to start a hunger strike in front of the Ministry of Health out of protest.

The Human Rights Center appeals to the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Welfare, as well as to the Agency for Social Subsidies to investigate the activities of the Kakheti regional and district Coordination Center of the Social Agency and launch corresponding proceedings related to such perceived violations.

The Human Rights Center started monitoring of the implementation of the Poverty Reduction State Program in Kakheti region. Within the monitoring system the lawyers for the centre will provide socially excluded families with free legal assistance. It is clear that these families deserve help from the state but are kept from being able to obtain the much needed medical and social assistance that they are legally entitled.

The Human Rights Center carries out the monitoring with its own funds. Within the project the Kakheti office of the center has already registered over 350 socially excluded families who face dire financial and social circumstances.

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti