During the Ministerial Hour, the Parliament received a report from the Minister of Health who provided an overview of the activities conducted in 2022 as well as future plans. Zurab Azarashvili highlighted the efforts made by the Ministry in the areas of health and social protection, employment, and human rights.

He specifically mentioned that in 2023, there has been a significant increase in the budget allocated to the universal healthcare program, reaching a total of 880 million GEL, as compared to the previous year.

“The universal healthcare program covers 94.7% of the population. Since the beginning of the program, 11 million medical cases of 3 million citizens have been financed with 7 billion GEL”, - said Zurab Azarashvili.

The Minister highlighted several significant reforms that have been implemented in the healthcare sector. These reforms include the opening of the Turkish market, ensuring quality control of medicines, establishing reference prices, obtaining international accreditation for medical facilities, implementing a referral assistance program, and introducing an electronic prescription system. The Minister also discussed reforms related to emergency medical care, primary care, and infrastructural improvements in the healthcare system.

“In 2023, the Parliament of Georgia approved a legislative package, according to which the legal basis of the paramedic profession was formed. With this change, the importance of the paramedic as a link providing emergency medical assistance has significantly increased”, - noted Zurab Azarashvili.

The Minister emphasized that the government is committed to addressing the medical needs of the population from Ukraine. Through general and targeted state programs, funding and social benefits are provided to citizens of Ukraine. Zurab Azarashvili highlighted that state programs focusing on the management of rare diseases, mental health, and the elimination of hepatitis C are of high priority for the government. He mentioned that significant progress has been made in ensuring geographical access to dialysis services. Furthermore, the Minister discussed state programs that cater to child care, individuals with disabilities, and pensioners. These programs aim to provide necessary support and services to these specific groups within the population.

“In 2023, the amount of the state pension for the population under 70 years of age was set at 295 GEL, and for people over 70 years of age at 365 GEL”, - Zurab Azarashvili noted.

According to him, from 2023, sub-programs on home care and personal assistant services were added to the Social Rehabilitation and Child Care program, which is implemented in pilot mode. Zurab Azarashvili reviewed the activities of the State Employment Support Agency and noted that opening legal employment opportunities for Georgian citizens abroad is one of the government"s priorities.