Georgia starts accepting applications for treatment of children with cancer abroad

Treatment of children with cancer abroad

The Ministry of Health of Georgia has begun accepting applications for the diagnosis and treatment of children with cancer in foreign clinics under a state program.

According to the Ministry of Health, the partner clinics of the program are:

• Anadolu Medical Center (Türkiye);
• Giron Salud Medical Center (Spain);
• “Tel Aviv Medical Center Ichilov” (Israel).

To participate in the program, the parent or guardian of the child must contact the reception of the Ministry of Health and fill out an application. For this you need:

• fill out an application form (the applicant will receive a form to fill out at the Ministry of Health);
• identity document of the recipient of the service and the applicant (birth certificate/passport);
• health certificate of the recipient of the service;
• the results of available diagnostic studies with translation into English and notarized.

The package of medical services includes diagnostics and a standard course of treatment: chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, and proton therapy, depending on the needs of the patient.

A beneficiary of the program can be a person under the age of 18 with a cancer diagnosis (with the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code).

“Patients will be assigned to clinics based on their individual needs, the capacity of the clinic and the choice of the patient’s family. Detailed information about the program can be obtained on the hotline of the Ministry of Health – 15 05,” the ministry said in a statement.

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On July 11, 2023, it became known that before the opening of an oncology center in Georgia, created according to all modern standards, all children will receive comprehensive treatment abroad at the expense of state funding.

According to the Ministry of Health, high-tech clinics that meet all modern standards and have international accreditation, where a full range of services are available, have been selected as service providers.

As part of the project, patients will have the opportunity to receive high-quality, high-tech medical services, including proton therapy, which is the latest word in modern medicine for the treatment of certain types of tumors.

The annual budget for financing treatment is about 30 million lari [about $11.7 million], the health ministry said in a statement.

The model will significantly improve both the outcomes and the quality of medical services for this period, says Deputy Minister of Health Tamar Gabunia:

“We are talking about 300 children a year. These are 150 new cases, and those children who have already been diagnosed with cancer.

There will also be work to develop an oncological service in Georgia. And those partner clinics that were selected to participate in the program according to certain criteria will help us on the ground and train Georgian doctors,” Gabunia says.