Under a new project funded by the European Union (EU), 200 rural health-care facilities in Georgia are set to receive digital health equipment to support the safe management of COVID-19. Another 50 centres will receive telemedicine equipment designed specifically to reach people with chronic conditions, and to provide children’s routine health services.
WHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) are working together with the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia to implement this 3-year initiative.
The project will help increase access to essential health care regardless of where a person lives. It aims to relieve some of the burden on the health-care system during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
“Introducing telemedicine in primary health-care clinics in the regions will bring positive results to both the population and to doctors,” explained Ekaterine Tikaradze, Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia. “The capacity of village doctors will improve, as they will be provided with the newest diagnostic technologies.”
Advancing universal health coverage
Health-care providers will be invited to participate in online training sessions on how to provide primary health-care services using digital health tools. In the long term, the project will use telehealth services to help build a more resilient primary health-care system in the country, increase equitable access to services in rural areas and contribute to progress towards universal health coverage.
“Helping the people of Georgia to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic has been a key priority for the EU from the very first day. With this innovative project that we are launching together with our United Nations partners, we hope to reach even more citizens throughout Georgia with health-care services. Proper access to health care should be for everyone, and we hope to contribute to this goal,” said Carl Hartzell, Ambassador of the EU in Georgia.
“Apart from supporting the immediate response to COVID-19 at the primary health-care level, this project is going to build a solid and sustainable foundation for digital health and telemedicine in Georgia by supporting the development of the necessary legal and regulatory frameworks and clinical guidelines, providing specific trainings for primary health-care personnel, and promoting the use of telemedicine services among health-care providers and the population,” added Silviu Domente, WHO Representative to Georgia.
About the project
The 3-year, €4.7 million project builds on and complements the ongoing efforts of the EU and the United Nations to support Georgia’s COVID-19 response and progress towards universal health coverage.
It will be implemented under the leadership of WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF and UNOPS, working within their respective areas of expertise to minimize the COVID-19 pandemic’s negative impact on people’s health and the health system by taking advantage of quality telehealth and telemedicine services.
The project is linked to the European Programme of Work 2020–2025 (EPW) – “United Action for Better Health in Europe”. Through its flagship initiative Empowerment through Digital Health, the EPW highlights how digital solutions have the potential to transform health care in the WHO European Region by improving the delivery of care and supporting health authorities with innovative solutions.