UNDP is joining hands with the Government of Sweden to support the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC), the lead agency in Georgia’s pandemic response, in training 4,000 medical personnel across the country in enhanced infection prevention and control. The initiative relies on USD 150,000 in Swedish funding.

“Georgia has managed the first wave of the pandemic well, but the crisis is far from over. We must spare no effort to improve public healthcare and increase the professionalism of our medical staff to ensure full preparedness for future health emergencies. Not only will this new initiative enable us to continue coping with COVID-19; it will also benefit our disease prevention and control system well beyond the current crisis”, - said the Head of NCDC Amiran Gamkrelidze

With Swedish funding, UNDP will assist the NCDC in establishing an e-learning platform to provide doctors, nurses and administrative staff with an opportunity to attend training courses and certification programmes, communicate, exchange experience and receive practical advice from NCDC experts.

“Georgian doctors deserve respect and admiration for their professionalism and dedication during the pandemic. The new learning system will improve their ability to respond to health emergencies and also help close the gap between big cities and rural areas, where medical staff tend to have fewer resources”, - said the Head of UNDP Louisa Vinton.

The new initiative covers 37 medical institutions and the NCDC’s 60 regional centers across Georgia. 3 000 medical workers from the clinics designated for COVID-19 treatment and 1 000 medical staff from regular healthcare institutions will be trained in health emergency response. The training will also extend to the operators of a specialized hotline for medical professionals who will be trained in infection prevention and control.