Tbilisi City Hall to Fund Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis

Tbilisi City Hall has initiated a funding program for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Mayor Kakha Kaladze announced earlier today. The program will be launched in March 2020.

"The 2020 budget will be administered across two central concerns- the advancement of infrastructure and healthcare/social issues," Kaladze noted.

For years, patients with multiple sclerosis have appealed to the Georgian government to make the treatment more available to them. They have likewise stressed the need for timely diagnosis and adequate treatment.

The Georgian State protocol for clinical management of multiple sclerosis claims there are around 1,100-1,200 patients with multiple sclerosis in Georgia. There is no information on the frequency of the disease in different regions.

With timely and adequate treatment now officially assured by the Mayor, patients can return to a full-fledged lifestyle in the family and society as a whole.

On average, GEL 24,000 will be allocated for each patient. Socially vulnerable persons will be fully funded; the remainder will receive 80% coverage.

By Elene Dzebisashvili