Alexander Kvitashvili Leaves Office of Ukraine’s Health Minister

Alexander Kvitashvili, Ukraine’s Health Minister, has left his office after several months of efforts to reform Ukraine’s healthcare system.

Kvitashvili insists that the resignation was his own decision. As one of several Georgians leading reforms in Ukraine’s modernization, Kvitashvili was believed to lead the county’s most sensitive sector, its healthcare system.

“I came to Ukraine to carry out reforms. We are now ready to do this. Everything is ready. We have changed the procurement system. We are following a transparent, normal, civilized path. I understand that many people working in the healthcare system are losing income. But this is Ukraine’s first and last chance to carry out healthcare reform,” Kvitashvili stated.

The rampant corruption which has widely permeated into the system had made Ukraine’s healthcare sector very unhealthy, as had happened in Georgia years before. However, a solution to the Ukrainian problem was not to be found by the Georgian technocrat.

“The newly formed Government of Ukraine gave credit to Georgian technocrat to be officially involved in the process of reforming the health sector in the country, which recently underwent the dramatic events for its European future. Ukrainian President, Petro Poroshenko, proposed the candidacy of Kvitashvili, stating that successful reformer in Georgia could also make the same progress in Ukraine”- Georgia Today wrote about Kvitashvili back in December 2014.

Ukraine’s President Poroshenko believed in the need for reforms and sharing international experience, which prompted the appointment of Kvitashvili among other Georgian reformers.　　

Having fronted one of the key sectors in developing Georgia in 2008-10, Kvitashvili carried out some drastic reforms in the sphere, such as modernizing and building new hospitals in different regions of Georgia, improving health care and building foundations to successfully implement the general healthcare policy, which currently operates in Georgia.

The well-educated Kvitashvili has worked for the　United Nations Development Program,　United Methodist Committee on Relief, International Fund of the Georgian　NGO -　Curatio, and the　East-West Institute. At different times, he has also consulted various international organizations based in Azerbaijan, Latvia,　Ukraine,　Armenia, and Greece　on education, healthcare and social security-related issues. After resigning from the position of Minister, he served as a Rector of TSU from December 2010 until June 2013.

Currently, the resigned Kvitashvili says he is to assist his successor, a new Minister, as the Georgian reformer has unique experience which can still benefit Ukraine.

Steven Jones