Georgian Health Minister announces his resignation

Georgia's Healthcare Minister Davit Sergeenko has announced his resignation.

"This is not a short-term decision," he noted, adding that it "was preceded by long consultations."

Sergeenko pointed out that he would stay in the ranks of the ruling Georgian Dream party despite his resignation.

Davit Sergeenko served as Georgia's Healthcare Minister since October 2012.

Political scientist Gela Vasadze, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that Sergeenko is a representative of the founder of the Georgian Dream party, the former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili's old team. "The 'successful' health care reform, which involved government funding for universal health care, have suffered serious disruptions . Even in such countries as Canada and the United States it's not easy to implement this kind of reforms," the expert said.

According to him, current Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze has his own view on the further development of health care. "Obviously, he managed to convince Bidzina Ivanishvili that he needs his own healthcare minister," the political scientist said, noting that the elections are ahead and the Georgian Dream party's future depends on how effectively the Georgian authorities will correct their mistakes.

"It’s hard to say whether the Georgian Dream will succeed, but apparently Ivanishvili decided to give the prime minister’s economic team a free hand. I think the authorities will respond with administrative impulses, which is extremely doubtful for a long-term effect. But the short-term effect can be achieved, which is already enough, given the short time left before the elections," Vasadze concluded.

The head of the Institute of Management Strategy, Petre Mamradze, in turn, drew attention to the fact that Davit Sergeenko led the Ministry of Health against his will, at the request of Ivanishvili. "And soon after he was appointed to Health Minister, he began to ask for resignation. This lasted for five years. Therefore, I am not surprised that his request was finally granted," Mamradze said.

At the same time, he added that Sergeenko was not able to solve the  problems which have accumulated in the health care system. "A major achievement was the introduction of health insurance, but in practice many clinics began to use corruption schemes, by any means ensuring that insurance worked. In this situation, the minister can do little without the support from the parliament and other ministries," the expert continued. .

"I think that Sergeenko heard rumors about what was happening in the system, which also influenced his decision to leave," Mamradze added.

Describing Davit Sergeenko's activities as Healthcare Minister, Mamradze noted that he is a high-level professional, but lacked political experience.