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“Hunting” on Socially Excluded People

August 18, 2007

On August 10 representatives of the Ministry of Healthcare visited Imereti region. Piloting program on vouchering the socially excluded population started in Imereti region. At first sight it did not seem bad initiative; however fifteen days later it turned into a very unpleasant situation and became a reason for dissidence.

Ministry of Healthcare started to give out special vouchers to the people below poverty level in Kutaisi late in August. It envisaged guaranteed free medical service for each beneficiary. But as it became clear, the procedure is too complicated. In order to get a voucher an applicant should collect at least 70 thousand points of rating having been registered at Kutaisi Department of the Agency for Social Subsidies. Afterwards s/he can exchange the voucher into a policy of any insurance company.

Last week, fifty-nine-year-old Makvala Maruashvili, a resident of Kutaisi, applied to the Human Rights Center’s Kutaisi office. She is a lonely mother and her only child has serious disease. The starving family remained without voucher.

“Human rights of my family are violated most of all and people make fun of me. My son is mentally disabled and we cannot enter the house until he falls asleep. I am afraid of him but I cannot afford his treatment. We have been registered at special office for two years already. Agents came and surveyed our family. Then they said we have not collected enough points to receive voucher. However, there are families with vouchers who are not poor at all,” said Makvala Maruashvili.

According to her information, there are nearly 6000 families below poverty level in Kutaisi and it makes 18 000 beneficiaries in total. However it is official data and in fact the figures are exaggerated. As for medical insurance, because of uncontrolled situation regarding issuing the vouchers, former Minister of Healthcare, Lado Chipashvili ordered to stop the process in Kutaisi for several days. They received some information that private insurance companies tried to win socially excluded people over (and are still trying).

“We really observed some violations. Medical personnel involved the process very badly. They were supporting certain insurance companies. If similar cases still occur, we will inform the Ministry regarding the situation. Our aim is to give the voucher to the family which really needs it,” said Vakhtang Surguladze, the head of the Healthcare and Social Programs Agency.

According to official information, citizens have right on free choice of insurance companies. However, the real situation shows the opposite. People started to speak how companies were winning over the people. Seventy-two-year-old Guguli Janelidze said that one of private insurance companies (she preferred not to mention the name of it) offered her registration in the company in exchange of medicines and food.

Members of the Republic Party’s Kutaisi branch also speak about the violation. They say that the number of discontent people increases day-by-day. “They come to us every day and complain that insurance company “Irao” is giving out medical policies to them in exchange of vouchers. Most facts of violation were observed among IDPs. Doctors are persuading them in the hotel “Khvamli”; so IDPs applied to the police for help,” said Nato Katamadze, deputy chairwoman of the Republic Party’s Kutaisi organization.

Nobody comments on the situation from the Insurance Company “Irao” which is supported by local government. By the way, two more insurance companies, GPI Holding and Aldagi BCI are trying to occupy the market in Imereti region.

As it has become clear it really has sense to win the fight. Piloting program for the people below poverty level covers 121 thousand socially excluded people in Imereti region.

Shorena Kakabadze, Kutaisi

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