“They come, measure the territory of the institute, take photos and leave the area. Nobody listens to us,” the scientists complained.
The Ministry of Economical Development of Georgia might sell the building of the Kutateladze Institute of Pharmaco-Chemistry and its territory; the personnel of the institute might be removed to the institute of Bio-Technology in Digomi settlement, Tbilisi – it is assumption of the personnel who state that the laboratories must not be removed from the territory.
The building of the Pharmaco-Chemistry Institute is not on the list of privatized buildings published by the Ministry of Economic Development.
The institute is located in Vashlisjvari settlement in Tbilisi and it subordinated to the Academy of Sciences for many years. Short time ago it was appended to the Medical University of Georgia; however the form and status are not known yet. The research institute owns quite a large territory where they grew perennial plants. The institute grew medical plants in Kakheti and Adjara regions too.
Ivel Kutateladze founded the institute in 1932. Ivane Javakhishvili (famous Georgian scientist who, together with other scientists, founded first Georgian University - current Tbilisi State University) invited him from Russia to give lectures in pharmacy to the students of the first Georgian university.
The Pharmaco-Chemistry Institute was one of the leading research institutions during the soviet time. It studied Georgian flora and used biologically active substances of plants to produce medicines. The institute has created several original medicines from the Georgian flora which was exported to the republics of the Soviet Union.
The employees of the institute said the Institute still has profit and sells its own original medicines not only in Georgia but in Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia and Caucasus region. They cooperate with foreign countries and the young personnel were trained abroad. The institute pays about 40 000 GEL to the state budget as income tax annually though the state covers only their communal expenses and meager salaries to the personnel (scientist has 200 GEL per month). Thus, the institute personnel earn their living themselves.
“The enterprise cannot be removed from the place because in this case a new factory shall be constructed in a new place and who will do it? It will cost millions of GEL. I mean the equipment and enterprise techniques that will be destroyed in case of removal. Without enterprise the scientist will have to live on that 200 GEL that is impossible. So, we can easily predict the end of this institute,” said chief scientist of the Pharmaco-Chemistry Institute Vakhtang Mshvildadze in his interview with the Resonance. “The state will receive several millions after selling the building and territory. In exchange, the state will lose well-equipped, profitable institute with 80-year-long working experience in the field; it will lose the experts and future generation of scientists. If they sell this institute, it will have negative impact on Georgia. This research institution owns unique expertise experience in the research of medical plants and producing medicines from them.”
The Ministry of Economic Development sends specialists to the Institute who takes photos and measures everything in the area.
“We urge and explain every visitor that the enterprise cannot be removed from the place. We clarify them everything in details but nobody listens to us… they come, measure everything, take photos and then leave the area. Unification with the Medical University means our closure. As far as we know, the Ministry intends to sell the institute and its territories and we are supposed to move to the Institute of Bio-Technology in Digomi. We do not hate the Medical University and do not refuse to join them; but we know what happened with every research institute which was appended to the University; the same will happen with us too – we will be finally closed up,” said an employee of the Institute who requested to keep his name anonymous.
The eldest academician of the Institute Eter Kemerteladze spoke about the importance of the laboratories and said their removal is technically impossible because equipment will go wrong.
Academician Eter Kemerteladze: “Those laboratories cannot be removed to other place. Here we have created small experimental base and experimental stations. We have adopted with the environment. We have heard that representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development came here but we do not know their plans and goals in relation with us. Dismantling of the laboratories here means to fully destroy this field of science. We will not have Georgian Pharmacy. You know we are studying plants here and then produce medicines from them… We should petition to the government not to destroy this branch. Pharmaco-Chemistry is a specific branch and it cannot be abolished.”
The Resonance interviewed the chancellor of the Medical Institute Zurab Orjonikidze to find out the future fate of the Research Institute.
“This medical-research institute was appended to the Tbilisi Medical University as a structural unit. So far, only the institute was assigned to us without its property. That means, their property still belongs to the state. There is no document to prove that the property now belongs to us. We do not know whether the property will be sold or not; the government shall decide it. The institute has the same budget under our subordination as it had before – so nobody reduced their funding and they can continue their activities without problems. I can confirm this information. The personnel were not reduced. We do not interfere in their activities. They have their director. Just the opposite, we will do our best to assist them. I do not have other information.”
The Ministry of Economic Development has not inserted the Institute on the list of privatized buildings. However, the press-center of the Ministry reported that buildings of medical institutions ready for privatization will be inserted on the list soon.
Mari Otarashvili, Newspaper “Resonance”
The Ministry of Economical Development of Georgia might sell the building of the Kutateladze Institute of Pharmaco-Chemistry and its territory; the personnel of the institute might be removed to the institute of Bio-Technology in Digomi settlement, Tbilisi – it is assumption of the personnel who state that the laboratories must not be removed from the territory.
The building of the Pharmaco-Chemistry Institute is not on the list of privatized buildings published by the Ministry of Economic Development.
The institute is located in Vashlisjvari settlement in Tbilisi and it subordinated to the Academy of Sciences for many years. Short time ago it was appended to the Medical University of Georgia; however the form and status are not known yet. The research institute owns quite a large territory where they grew perennial plants. The institute grew medical plants in Kakheti and Adjara regions too.
Ivel Kutateladze founded the institute in 1932. Ivane Javakhishvili (famous Georgian scientist who, together with other scientists, founded first Georgian University - current Tbilisi State University) invited him from Russia to give lectures in pharmacy to the students of the first Georgian university.
The Pharmaco-Chemistry Institute was one of the leading research institutions during the soviet time. It studied Georgian flora and used biologically active substances of plants to produce medicines. The institute has created several original medicines from the Georgian flora which was exported to the republics of the Soviet Union.
The employees of the institute said the Institute still has profit and sells its own original medicines not only in Georgia but in Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia and Caucasus region. They cooperate with foreign countries and the young personnel were trained abroad. The institute pays about 40 000 GEL to the state budget as income tax annually though the state covers only their communal expenses and meager salaries to the personnel (scientist has 200 GEL per month). Thus, the institute personnel earn their living themselves.
“The enterprise cannot be removed from the place because in this case a new factory shall be constructed in a new place and who will do it? It will cost millions of GEL. I mean the equipment and enterprise techniques that will be destroyed in case of removal. Without enterprise the scientist will have to live on that 200 GEL that is impossible. So, we can easily predict the end of this institute,” said chief scientist of the Pharmaco-Chemistry Institute Vakhtang Mshvildadze in his interview with the Resonance. “The state will receive several millions after selling the building and territory. In exchange, the state will lose well-equipped, profitable institute with 80-year-long working experience in the field; it will lose the experts and future generation of scientists. If they sell this institute, it will have negative impact on Georgia. This research institution owns unique expertise experience in the research of medical plants and producing medicines from them.”
The Ministry of Economic Development sends specialists to the Institute who takes photos and measures everything in the area.
“We urge and explain every visitor that the enterprise cannot be removed from the place. We clarify them everything in details but nobody listens to us… they come, measure everything, take photos and then leave the area. Unification with the Medical University means our closure. As far as we know, the Ministry intends to sell the institute and its territories and we are supposed to move to the Institute of Bio-Technology in Digomi. We do not hate the Medical University and do not refuse to join them; but we know what happened with every research institute which was appended to the University; the same will happen with us too – we will be finally closed up,” said an employee of the Institute who requested to keep his name anonymous.
The eldest academician of the Institute Eter Kemerteladze spoke about the importance of the laboratories and said their removal is technically impossible because equipment will go wrong.
Academician Eter Kemerteladze: “Those laboratories cannot be removed to other place. Here we have created small experimental base and experimental stations. We have adopted with the environment. We have heard that representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development came here but we do not know their plans and goals in relation with us. Dismantling of the laboratories here means to fully destroy this field of science. We will not have Georgian Pharmacy. You know we are studying plants here and then produce medicines from them… We should petition to the government not to destroy this branch. Pharmaco-Chemistry is a specific branch and it cannot be abolished.”
The Resonance interviewed the chancellor of the Medical Institute Zurab Orjonikidze to find out the future fate of the Research Institute.
“This medical-research institute was appended to the Tbilisi Medical University as a structural unit. So far, only the institute was assigned to us without its property. That means, their property still belongs to the state. There is no document to prove that the property now belongs to us. We do not know whether the property will be sold or not; the government shall decide it. The institute has the same budget under our subordination as it had before – so nobody reduced their funding and they can continue their activities without problems. I can confirm this information. The personnel were not reduced. We do not interfere in their activities. They have their director. Just the opposite, we will do our best to assist them. I do not have other information.”
The Ministry of Economic Development has not inserted the Institute on the list of privatized buildings. However, the press-center of the Ministry reported that buildings of medical institutions ready for privatization will be inserted on the list soon.
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