Zhordania’s Name Back Where It Belongs!

Good news comes in many forms and can often be far better than hearing of the trivial victory of a political player or party. And the good news this time around is that the memorable name of Ioseb Zhordania has been re-accorded to the medical enterprise to which it truly belongs.

Here is the story of the case: Professor Zhordania founded his famous Institute of Human Reproduction in 1958, the first ever attempted and executed medical project of its kind in world history, thanks to which this outstanding Georgian physician worked ahead of the times for some 30 years. And there is not an iota of exaggeration in this account. As a matter of fact, it could even be taken as an understatement when it comes to his professionalism, scientific expertise and personality. The well-known heroic episode of his death speaks volumes about this great Georgian: after a plane he was on plunged into the Atlantic, he chose to save a little girl’s life by ceding her his lifebelt, doing so knowing he was unable to swim and well-aware that death was inevitable. Isn’t it amazing that Ioseb Zhordania dedicated not only his life but his demise to the happiness of a woman and child!

Since then, a lot of water has run under the bridges of Georgia and the world. The Institute continued functioning under Zhordania’s name and the directorial efforts of various managing figures, among them Professor Archil Khomasuridze, who boasts the longest and most prolific service history in the capacity of Director of the Zhordania Institute of Human Reproduction, having tens of thousands of reproduced human lives under his medical belt. Under his leadership, the Institute became the internationally recognized medical center of its profile.

Sadly, the bizarre vicissitudes of life would have it that Khomasuridze be deposed and the gorgeous downtown building where the Institute was sheltered for many decades, be sold. Nobody knows how serious the exigency was for the then-government to choose to get rid of both the man and the facilities, but so it happened, against the will of the very effective director and to the detriment of the extremely efficient enterprise.

Khomasuridze would not have been Khomasuridze, however, had he not found a way to start his career from scratch. In 2014, based on traditions bequeathed him by Professor Zhordania, and nursing the purpose of serving the same elevated targets and ideals, Professor Khomasuridze created a new clinic. He managed to do this only thanks to the initiative of his faithful fellow-doctors and encouraged by the efforts of the old Zhordania institute patriots. He bought new premises, refurbished them and brought them into a state-of-the-art condition. The new clinic was named ‘The Archil Khomasuridze Institute of Human Reproduction,’ which today is functioning with huge success as an absolutely remunerative medical enterprise, so much needed for the future of this country.

Professor Khomasuridze has just turned 77. He is vigorous, full of interesting new ideas and ever-present readiness to keep up his job as ever before in life. Meanwhile, his former Institute continued carrying the name of Ioseb Zhordania, whether fairly or unfairly, with dignity or not – which is not exactly what matters now. What attracts most attention at this very moment is that Archil Khomasuridze decided to return the name of Zhordania to his current Institute, dropping his own name from its official title because he thinks that ‘Zhordania’ is no longer a common name, but a name with an imperative significance for Georgia. He had to go through several court trials to win the case and get Zhordania’s name back where it genuinely belongs. This is not simply a fact of human modesty and altruism, nor is it a business-oriented move: this can only be qualified as justice done when celebration of human generosity is at its height.

By Nugzar B. Ruhadze