Georgian Healthcare System Barometer: Experts' Evaluations of Changes Taking Place in the Healthcare

Georgian Healthcare System Barometer: Experts’ Evaluations of Changes Taking Place in the Healthcare

January 29, 2014

Health Systems Research, Health Financing, Europe & Eurasia, Report, Other, NEWS, 2014

Curatio International Foundation published results of the survey, representing expert evaluations of processes and changes taking place in the Georgian healthcare field.

“Georgian Healthcare System Barometer” is based on evaluations of 98 experts and covers 6-month period – May-October, 2013.

The survey was focused on expected results of the Universal Insurance; possible influence of steps made by the Government on private investments in healthcare; population health; quality of the medical service and medical education; a policy of healthcare financing.

Curatio International Foundation first published Barometer in April 2013. In the second survey, some assessments have become more optimistic, although issues with increased pessimistic expectations have emerged as well.

Major findings of the survey:

Experts believe that initiatives introduced by the Government in the healthcare sector for the past 6 months have generally been efficient – during this period, the number of skeptics significantly dropped from 52.4% to 33%;
This time, more respondents consider that steps made by the Government are efficient but funding of this sector is evaluated as “less adequate”;
Despite the significant increase in State funding, experts’ expectations that healthcare would become more affordable and/or prices would go down, have become more pessimistic in the second wave;
In the second wave, optimistic expectations that prices on medications would go down have decreased from 38.8% to 25.5%. This is probably caused by the fact that 47.3% of experts believe that, in terms of pharmaceutical market management and regulation, no important steps have been made for the past 6 months;
According to experts, just as in the first wave, the quality of medical service, as well as medical education system, remain problematic;
The majority of experts thinks that the medical personnel training system still does not meet current requirements and 69.8% of experts indicates that effective steps have not been made in this direction for the past 6 months either;
It is well known that for the development of the sector, it is necessary to improve the investment climate. The majority of experts are skeptical that the policy pursued for the last 6 months will promote private investments in the insurance industry (70.3%) or in medical facilities (61.6%);
Experts believe that the policy conducted in this sector will increase the Government’s role in insurance companies (54.9%) and clinical facilities (76.9%).

Positive perception of results and tendencies by experts is probably caused by a clear formulation of concrete priorities by the State and communication through programmatic and/or State documents as well as through media. The negative results are probably caused by either an absence of declared priorities by the State of insufficient detalization of them.

Researchers conclude that clear and transparent formulation of priorities and adequate communication can have a positive influence on the future of the health sector and consequently on the public opinion.

Experts participating in the survey represent ministries and government bodies, medical facilities, international organizations, professional associations, insurance companies and research groups.

Curatio International Foundation will conduct such survey every six months in order to observe in dynamics processes taking place in this sector and experts’ attitude towards these changes.