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Country Background
The Republic of Georgia is situated between the southern slopes
of the Caucasus mountain range and the Black Sea. It is bordered
by Armenian and Turkish territories to the south; Azerbaijan to
the east; and Russia to the north. Largely mountainous, Georgia
is slightly larger than the state of South Carolina. Approximately
5,438,600 people live in Georgia. Georgia's literacy rate is one
of the highest in the world. Like many of the Newly Independent
States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union, Georgia faces economic
and social turmoil. The Abkhazian conflict has resulted in an estimated
50,000 deaths and 288,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Georgia's economy traditionally has revolved
around Black Sea tourism; the cultivation of citrus fruits, teas,
and grapes; mining of manganese and copper; and a small industrial
sector producing wine, machinery, chemicals, and textiles. With
the collapse of the Soviet Union and the command economy, virtually
all of these industries are in shambles.
More than 80 percent of the population
is currently living below poverty standards and the average income
is 10-20 Lari per month (approximately $5-$10 U.S. Dollars).
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ENLARGE
PHOTO
More than 15,000 patient services are provided
by SAE’s 3 clinics in Georgia monthly.
Health Care Needs
The current economic situation in Georgia has
had a dramatic effect on the overall health of the general population.
Georgians no longer have free access to medical treatment. While
health care facilities in the NIS have been partially privatized,
they receive limited government subsidies and virtually no patient
fees. They cannot afford modern medical equipment and medicines.
More importantly, clinics and hospitals in the rural villages have
either been closed or downsized due to lack of funds. Consequently,
the most rural communities have limited access to local health care
facilities.
Tuberculosis borders on epidemic status. Diphtheria
has become a serious medical problem for the first time since World
War II. Malnutrition and anemia are prevalent, particularly in women
of childbearing age.
Heart disease remains the leading killer of
men and women in Georgia. Georgia also has a high incident rate
of deaths due to trauma and poisoning, digestive tract disease,
and respiratory problems.
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SAE's Health Care Centers
The SAE Primary Health Care Initiative (PHCI) began in the
Republic of Georgia. In April of 1999, the SAE Health Care
Center in Tbilisi, Georgia was established and began seeing
patients. Soon to follow were the health care centers in Tsalka
and Tsikhisjvari.
The Medical Mobile Unit program was first
introduced at each of these medical centers to provide primary
care to Hellenes and their neighbors living in the remote
villages. The Tbilisi clinic has become the prototype of the
SAE Health Care Centers in Armenia and Ukraine. It is the
model on which all future clinics are based.
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Presently, the SAE PHCI in Georgia conducts
on average, 15,000 to 18,000 patient services per month. More
than 40 percent of SAE's budget regarding humanitarian assistance
has been distributed in Georgia. The SAE PHCI was also the
first medical relief program to conduct successful coronary
by-pass surgery in the Republic of Georgia.The program has
received the highest honor regarding foreign assistance from
Eduard Schevardnadze, the President of the Republic of Georgia.
In 2002, SAE expanded the Primary Care
Rural Nurses' Program to Georgia with the establishment of
five stations in villages outside of Tbilisi and Kobuleti,
a city along the southern coast of the Black Sea. Kobuleti
is also the future site of a SAE Health Care Center.
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