In light of its location, the Republican Hospital [RH] has the genuine capacity to offer multi-disciplinary, highly professional range of services to our citizens on the right bank of the Mtkvari river. This establishment serves as an optimal environment wherein, through cooperation with the Medical University, we can set a robust state clinic, said Zurab Azarashvili in the legislative body, while responding to MPs inquiries.

The candidate for the position of the Minister of Health also addressed the wide-spread speculations surrounding the Tbilisi RH.

Zurab Azarashvili noted that during the COVID period, the country was grappling with the different reality. Consequently, the repair works in the clinic were undertaken to accommodate the pandemic conditions.

“The fact that the renovation works were conducted there some years ago, during the COVID pandemic, does not represent a long-term solution. Evaluating the clinic’s condition, based on various conclusions, we have arrived at irreplaceable, sound, state-level, long-term decision.

A robust state clinic with 500 beds will be constructed at the place of the RH, functioning as a multi-disciplinary facility and serving as one of the primary foundations and bases for the Medical University”, - said Zurab Azarashvili.

According to him, daily meetings are held with the staff of RH to discuss future plans and any other matters.

“I made several attempts to meet. One of the recent attempts was undertaken a week ago, though unfortunately failed at the specifically agreed time, as at the last moment it turned out that the meeting hinged on the reversal of the government’s decision we made regarding the RH. However, I would like to reiterate that this is the only viable solution we have made on state level regarding the RH, and in the long-term it will result in the establishment of the robust clinic, that will also pose as a significant competitor for private sector.

A special group is designated for meetings with the staff daily from 6 p.m. The team is readily available to meet with any employee regarding any issue. The team is there every day, waiting, and as far as I know, the meetings are held actively in recent days”, - added Zurab Azarashvili.

The candidate for the position of the Minister of Health also responded to the MPs’ inquiries regarding current status of the RH and financing of the construction of a new clinic.

“I hesitate to offer you to visit the clinic’s basement, nor can I extend the invitation to visit it together. The situation there bears no connection to the clinic whatsoever. This entails sewage, draining water, wastewater and, along with a plethora of garbage, if I could say so, two stories high, piled up there. What you used to see during your time at the Medical University was decades ago; access to that area has been forbidden for years now”, - responded Zurab Azarashvili to Nato Chkheidze’s question regarding the present condition of the basement of the RH.