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Weekly Newspaper, International Edition - Published by “The Georgian TIMES” Media Holding Since 1993 www.geotimes.ge

Publisher The Georgian Times Media Holding, Member of the World Association of Newspapers

Monday, September 30, 2016

S P E C I A L E D I T I O N





NEWSPAPER IN GEORGIAN 0N 0N 0N 0N 0 11111Special Edition /

Distributed free

TOP TOP TOP TOP TOP M E D I CAL M E D I CAL M E D I CAL M E D I CAL M E D I CAL COMPANIES OF GEORGIACOMPANIES OF GEORGIACOMPANIES OF GEORGIACOMPANIES OF GEORGIACOMPANIES OF GEORGIA

‘This event is a steptowards the furtherdevelopment of the

health sector’ -The Georgian Timesorganised a Health

Care Festival in Tbilisi

Innovations in theFight against Cancer

Tbilisi CancerCenter

Helsicore ProtectsYour Health

New HospitalsTeam of professional doctors

The most modern medicaltechnologies

Quality Matters

Institute of Hematologyand Transfusiology

Prof. Maia Gotua andGeorgia's World Leading

Medical Centre

IVF & HumanReproductive Clinic

HEPA – A clinic of excellencefor diagnostics and treatment of

liver diseases in Georgia

AllergyXXI Century The Dream Dental Group

Health Centre Georgian NationalPlasmapheresis Centre

The NataliaKvantaliani Centre

N Qiron +, a Ground-breaking Neonatal Care

Centre, enters a newphase of development

Innova, High QualityMedical Services Offered

by Professionals


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The centre is equipped withadvanced high tech equipment.A pediatrician, child neurologist,surgeon, neurosurgeon, orthope-dist, nephrologist and dermatol-ogist are available in its outpa-tient clinic. It also includes anultrasound room, which address-es cardiology, neuroscopy andorthopedics issues, and a high-tech diagnostic lab, which is vi-tally important for such clinics

as it can provide quick and highquality testing on the spot. Thislaboratory, which is operational24 hours a day, is equipped withthe latest model automatic andsemi-automatic devices. All thenecessary tests are done in thelaboratory and all the laboratorystaff are involved in the patient’streatment and rehabilitation.

Professor Gela Metskh-varishvili, Academic Doctor of

Medicine, leads the centre’s med-ical staff, who are all highly skilledprofessionals. The Intensive CareUnit is led by Tamar Danelia,who works alongside NanaBarateli, Manana Ghvaladze,Marina Baratashvili, Eliso Turk-adze, Manana Tsulukidze, NatiaDanelia and the other specialistswith great experience and quali-fications. The clinic works close-ly with the neonatal departmentof the Shiba National MedicalCentre in Israel, and as part ofthis cooperation the centre’smedical staff undertake intern-ships and trainings abroad. Thisplays a substantial role in ensur-ing infant therapy and recovery.

Since its opening 636 patientshave been registered with the clin-ic, 70% of which are infants with

low and extremely low birthweights. Patients who are dis-charged from the clinic are stillsupervised in the outpatient de-partment.

The clinic has an ambulanceservice of its own, which isstaffed by mobile reanimationteams. These ambulances are dis-patched across the country toassist patients with severe ill-nesses on site or to transportthem to the relevant hospitals.

N Qiron + is an affiliated clin-ic of Tbilisi State Medical Uni-versity and is engaged in residen-cy programmes. Its residents takepart in its work on a daily basis.

The Director and leading doc-tors of the clinic spoke to TheGeorgian Times about its servic-

The neonatal care centre N Qiron + was opened on Septem-ber 5, 2014, under the leadership of Nana Bukhrashvili. It pro-vides neonatal intensive therapy and premature newborn care.

N Qiron +, a Groundbreaking Neonatal CareCentre, enters a new phase of development

es, proposals and future plans.Nana Bukhrashvili, The

Director: The idea of foundingthe clinic was born of increasingnecessity. Our goal was, and is,to be a dominating, Europeanstandard-oriented, high techno-logical, highest level clinic, whereeach patient is treated individu-ally, it also implies that eachpatient is provided with indi-vidual equipment.

The clinic has a reanimationsection, which means that we canplace the twenty patients withthe most difficult problems. Intotal, the clinic has a 45-50 pa-tient capacity. Due to our rela-tionship with the Shiba MedicalCentre, our staff can undertakeseveral months’ training in Isra-el.

I cannot help mentioning theteamwork of our staff. This isthe most important factor inachieving the best results. Theadministration, top managementand frontline staff work in uni-son and focus on the patients.This big family is joined by thepatients’ families. We have on-going contact with dischargedpatients, who often visit us, andthis is a great motivation for ouremployees.

As for future plans, let metell you that regionalisation is inprogress. We are going to open asimilar high tech and multi-pro-file pediatric neonatal clinic in oneof Georgia’s regions.

Tamar Danelia – Head ofNeonatal DepartmentGela Metskhvarishvili

Generally, neonatology is aservice for children from birth tothe age of 28 days. Our patientscome from different maternityhospitals and departmentsaround the country, who arebrought here by emergency ser-

vice vehicles. These are equippedwith all the required devices andmedications so as not to waste“golden minutes” and to diagnosethe patient during transportation.The patients are placed in the ap-propriate departments accordingto the severity of their conditions.

Our patients are provided withthe full range of services: criticalmedicine, intensive care, pathol-ogy and nurturing. In addition,we provide a full examination ofnewborn infants in the lab

through the latest high tech de-vices. Our highly skilled spe-cialists use advanced ultrasoundand neurosonoscopy equipment.We own unique “Drager” equip-ment from Germany, the bestavailable.

I can say with pride that theclinic is staffed with continuouslydeveloping personnel. They par-ticipate in trainings and conferenc-es in various countries. Our doc-tors have completed one or three-year courses at the Shiba Clinic.

Manana Tsulukidze, Neo-natologist: I often have contactwith patients whose life justneeds to be “caught” and thengifted. It is a big challenge for adoctor to exert all their efforts tosave the life of a little baby. Sav-ing a life gives me the same feel-ing a mother has when she givesa birth to a child.

We have several innovationsin our clinic. One of these is theso-called “Laminate case”, inwhich prenatal nutrition sub-stances will be made in com-pletely sterile conditions, whichthe majority of Georgian clinicslack.

The second innovation isscreening for 32 metabolic dis-eases, which will be launchedin October by Mr. Gia Melik-ishvili in partnership with Ger-man colleagues. Such screeninghas only so far been availablein Georgia for three congenitaldiseases, and even then it tookthree weeks to get the results.Now the analyses will be sentto Germany, and we will knowthe results in a week. This willenable the early detection ofdiseases, intervention and re-ducing the risk of complica-tions. Periodically, a Germandoctor will visit Georgia and de-liver medical services to our pa-tients on the spot.

Nana Bukhrashvili

Tamar Danelia

Manana Tsulukidze


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A healthy child, a healthy mother, family planning and raisingreproductive awareness in the younger generation are Health Cen-tre’s top priorities. Its medical services are delivered according toUN standards.

Its modern medical diagnostic equipment and perfection ofresearch methods enable the Health Centre to provide medicalservices not only for mothers and children but the whole family.Its clinical, biochemical, immunological, serological, cyto-mor-phological and bacteriological diagnostic labs hold European cer-tificates. Its 20 highly qualified doctors of medicine and 17 pro-fessors and academicians have a friendly attitude towards thepopulation.

Health Centre is a basic facility of the Medical University,whose professors offer consulting services and undertake joint

Health Centre –Multi-Dimensional and Multi-Useful

Health Centre is a multi-profile medical facility, based on the use of high tech processes,which offers contemporary methods of diagnostics and treatment.

projects with it. It incorporates departments of ophthalmology,surgical otolaryngology, gynaecology, plastic surgery and inpa-tient services. It has dedicated pediatric, therapeutic, gynaecolog-ical, cardiac, ophthalmological, neurological, psychological, oto-laryngologic and surgical wards and endocrinology, nephrology,functional diagnostic, vascular ultrasound of head and limbs, ul-trasound diagnostic of all body organs, roentgenography and roent-genoscopy rooms. Minimally invasive laparoscopic, plastic, re-constructive and aesthetic surgical services are also delivered.

In addition to diagnostics and treatment the health centre of-fers physiotherapy through “Galvamat” equipment. It also of-fers laser therapy for preventive, surgical and beauty treatmentpurposes. Its services are also available for minors and older peo-ple, and for citizens of every level covered by the state insuranceprogramme.

Health Centre is distinguished by its charitable activities. As-sisting the population living in the worst conditions in the bordercrossing areas and occupied territories has been a matter of con-cern for the Centre for many years. Residents of nearly twentyvillages have already received medical aid. The centre providesongoing assistance to disaster-affected and socially vulnerablepersons. A well-equipped fitness hall and swimming pool forchildren, built in a modern high-tech style, and water filtrationthrough ultraviolet rays are integral parts of the health centre.

The centre also includes a cafe and pharmacy. Come and enjoyour support: Health Centre is always at your service.

Address: Al. Kazbegi Ave:14 bReception T.214 44 05; laboratory T. 2 14 44 02; Consulting Service T. 2 14 44 04

Lali Gujabidze, Founder


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The NataliaKvantaliani Centre- Medicine For All

The Natalia KvantalianiCentral Blood Bank providesblood for patients with severeilnesses, oncological problems,infants, expectant mothers, sur-gical and traumatology patients,car crash victims and gynaeco-logical patients.As you know,in cases such as car accidents,births, cardiac surgery and oth-ers, a blood transfusion consti-tutes an emergency procedure.

The Natali Travel MedicalHotel, another of our facilities,isa quality-oriented medicalcentre which is committed toproviding a comfortable envi-ronment for patients' families.It offers a continuously calm

The Natalia Kvantaliani Medical Centre offersa wide range ofdifferent medical services. Weare committed to creating the most comfortable environment and appropriate healthcare servicestoour patients and their families, adjusted to their needs. The Centre also undertakes varioushumanitarian actions, on its own or with partners, to make high quality and timely healthcareservices available for everybody.

and pleasant atmosphere. It isalso designed to host foreignhealthcare specialists, andtherefore a team of profession-als and thoughtful medical per-sonnel will always be available.

The hotel has 22 comfort-able wards, a conference hall and

VIP rooms. All rooms are cozyand pleasant and furnishedwith modern furniture. Thereare also massage and beautyrooms, which contain the lat-est model high-quality equip-ment, a fitness area and bar.Thus Natali Travel offers youthe full package of servicestypical of such hotels.

The Natali KvantalianiMedical Centre is intended forthe people of any social classwho are in need of our assis-tance. A cafeteria is operationalat the centre, where our guestscan take a rest and listen to pi-ano music, which can be heardthroughout the day.

Give Blood Save LifeCertain patients need com-

ponents made from newly do-nated blood on a daily basis,but fresh blood is always in

short supply, since the limitednumber of donors cannot meetthe growing demand. This pos-es a huge threat to the healthand lives of our citizens. The

Therapeutic plasmaphere-sis is one of the most importantand effective treatments inmodern medicine. It results inthe majority of patients beingcured, or having their diseasesput in remission.

Plasmapheresis is used inthe treatment of over a hundredpathologies. These include:

* autoimmune diseases (allforms)

* autoimmune thyroiditis* antiphospholipid anti-

body syndrome* autoimmune endometritis* chronic recurrent salpin-

go-oophoritis* autoimmune cervicitis* EPH-gestosis, pregnant

women's gestosis* termination of pregnancy* toxicity of 1st half of preg-

nancy* genital infections* climacteric syndrome* maternal sepsis

* preparation for Caesareansection

* Rh incompatibility duringpregnancy

* thyroid disease* rheumatoid polyarthritis* psoriasis, eczema, derma-

titis, acne, dermatitis, rosacea* intoxications (poisoning)* hepatitis - all forms (in-

cluding Hepatitis C)* diabetes and its complica-

tions* allergic diseases* bronchial asthma* obesity* hypercholesterolemia,

chronic ischemic heart disease.* hypertonic disease* drug and alcohol addictionExtracorporeal haemocor-

rection (plasmapheresis) is con-ducted discretely through pho-tomodification techniques (aspart of multifactorial quantumtherapy).

The procedure is very effec-tive, but not without risk. The

most common side effects ofplasmapheresisare:

1. Internal and externalbleeding from the surgicalsource and vascular lesions(bleeding due to non-anticoag-ulants)

2. Eruption of potentialbleeding (from ulcers, erosion,gastrointestinal tract and pul-monary tumors)

3. Acute inflammatory andpurulent surgical infections.

4. The final stages of bloodcirculation failure.

5. Life-threatening heartrhythm disorders (ventricularpolypotentextra-systoles, ta-chyal forms of blinking ar-rhythmia).

The doctor determines thenumber, frequency and meth-odologies of plasmapheresisproceduresin accordance with-the patient's transfusionhisto-ry and pathology,after a freeconsultation.

Contact numbers:2 14 86 22; 599 75 44 42

599 88 44 42;579 78 22 11

E-mail: [email protected] ,[email protected]

Address: Kavtaradze street,blind alley, N4, Tbilisi.

"Give Blood Save Life" cam-paign, which is organised by ourcompany on a regular basis,seeks to eliminate this problemby creating a sufficient bloodstock for treating different dis-eases.

Blood donation is not paidfor. Donors are howevergivenfree examinations, in which wedetermine their blood type,rhesus type, rhesus phenotype,Kell factor and haemoglobinlevel. For the first time, we arenow offering other free medicalexaminations: blood tests, se-rologic tests for syphilis, hep-atitis B (HBsAg) virus tests,hepatitis C virus(HCV) anti-body tests and human immun-odeficiency virus(HIV) anti-body tests.

Following blood donationthe body starts to replenish thegiven blood, and thishas a pos-itive effect on human health. Wewould therefore like to ask youto take part in the "Give BloodSave Life" campaign and paysignificant dividends to thisvery needful and generous deed.

Contact numbers:551 311572; 2 545284

E-mail:[email protected]

Address: Kavtaradze street,blind alley N4. Tbilisi.

Natalia Kvantaliani

GeorgianNationalPlasmapheresis Centre

Hematology, a GreatGeorgian Tradition

Hematology has a long tradition in ourcountry, the first blood bank in Georgia hav-ing been founded in 1932. The Institute ofHematology and Transfusiology was set upon the basis of the original Blood Transfu-sion Station in 1935, and has thus been work-ing for decades. Its founder and first headwas academician Grigol Mukhadze.

The Institute of Hematology and Transfu-siology is a strong healthcare, diagnostic, edu-cational and research centre. In recent years ithas had been completely reconstructed bothphysically and technically and it is now amodern-type medical centre staffed with ex-perienced healthcare personnel. The Institutehas changed its name and address a number oftimes, and is now located at 4 Kavtaradze Str.,the "MedInvest" building.

Many other blood banks, hematological clin-ics, rooms and facilities have opened in Geor-gia but all of these are based on the Institute ofHematology and Transfusiology. It is the flag-man in the field of hematology, and the modelfor the following educational-scientific insti-tutions: Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State Uni-versity, Tbilisi State Medical University, "Ai-eti", DAUG (Davit Aghmashenebeli Univer-sity of Georgia) and so forth.

Professor Marine Abashidze heads the In-stitute of Hematology and Transfusiology,

Professor of Medicine Nina Lolasvilia is herdeputy and Professor Manana Ghirdaladze isthe head of Clinical Department. All these staffalso engage in pedagogical activities, teachingin Georgian, as English and Russian, and help-ing students build their capacity.

"Our team is a group of highly qualifiedand outstanding specialists. Many of them areprofessors, and therefore also engaged in teach-ing. The number of visits to our clinic is high,largely due to the high public confidence in ouroutstanding doctors. We are regularly invitedto international conferences and scientific con-gresses, where other doctors not only sharetheir experiences and achievements with us butare interested in hearing our opinions and as-sessments.

"The Institute of Hematology and Trans-fusiology has been a leading scientific centrefor many years, and continues to conduct thesame activities, including diagnosis and treat-ment, research and teaching. The main servic-es of our clinic are: 1. Clinic and LaboratoryHematology - oncohematology; 2. LaboratoryHematology; 3. Production and clinic transfu-siology; 4. Treatment and diagnostics of bloodand blood system diseases using the latest hightech methods.

Contact number: +995 32 2390213

Dinara Ramishvili

Marina Abashidze


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Intensive cooperation with Europeanand American hospitals and specialists24 hours service for every department150 beds (24 intensive care beds)QUALITY MATTERS

Tbilisi, krtsanisi str. N12

The Best Choice

New HospitalsTeam of professional doctorsThe most modern medicaltechnologies

All in one Space:Accurate and complete diagnosisusing modern medical technologiesand servicesThe full range of treatment: inpatient and out patient care


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Helsicore ProtectsYour HealthThe Israeli-Georgian Medical Research Clinic Helsicore is celebrating its second anniversary.After opening in 2014 its staff quickly won the trust of their patients due to their experience,hard work and continual improvement of the quality of their medical services. In a very shorttime the clinic gained a high reputation for its fully furnished wards, modern infrastructureadjusted to patient needs and latest model high-tech medical equipment.

Helsicore is now known notonly in Georgia but throughoutthe region as a medical clinicstaffed with highly qualified,world-renowned local and vis-iting medical personnel.

Helsicore's InterventionCardiology, Cardiac Surgeryand Vascular Surgery depart-ments are already operational.Patients receive high qualityinpatient, outpatient and labo-ratory services. Unique surgi-cal operations are being per-formed, confirmation that Hel-sicore is delivering a new mes-sage in the field of modern med-icine.

In addition to its high quali-ty medical services Helsicorealso gives special considerationto taking innovative approach-es. It was the first clinic in Geor-gia to introduce the latest drug-eluting and absorbable polymerstent procedure. This is the lat-est achievement of modern in-tervention cardiology. Unlikeits forerunner, a drug elutingcoronary stent which is alreadywell-known in cardiology, thenew polymer is completely ab-sorbed by the implanted bloodvessels thanks to its composi-

tion and six month period offunctionality. This process pre-vents any post-proceduralcomplications occurring.

The Israeli-Georgian medi-cal research clinic Helsicore isin the service of patients' health-care and expresses a constantreadiness to be an innovator inthe field of cardio-vascularmedicine.


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Tbilisi Cancer CenterInnovations in the Fight against CancerTbilisi Cancer Center was founded in 2005 to imple-ment prevention programs in the field of oncology. Itsubsequently expanded its activities and nowpursues arange of scientific-research and teaching-educativeactivities.

The center offers diagnostics andall types of surgical and drug treat-ments for its patients. It includes thefollowing operational departments:Breast cancer, Gynecology, Skin and

soft tissues, Head & neck oncology,Urology, Proctology, Abdominal sur-gery, Laparoscopy, Endoscopy,Otorhinolaryngology, Reconstructivesurgery, Chemotherapy, Hyperther-

mia, Intraoperative radiotherapy(Liac), Hematology, Endocrinology,Adult & Child Allergy, Ophthalmol-ogy, Cardiology.

The following medical facilities areparts of the Tbilisi Cancer Center:

* The T. Oragvelidze Cardiac Cen-ter, which offers: Consultation withcardiologists, Electrocardiography,Echocardiography, Treadmill physi-cal stress tests, 24 hour cardiac mon-itoring

* The 21st century Ltd. Ophthal-mology Clinic, which offers: Full oph-thalmic examinations, Selection ofeyewear by computer, All types ofeye surgery, Pediatric ophthalmolo-gy, Laser surgery

There is also available an ISO Stan-dard Laboratory service where pa-tients may receive any type of clinic-lab testing, including PCR diagnosticsand golden standard servicing ofLymph & Leukemia and other oncol-ogy pathologies -Flow cytometryanalysis via the latest model BD Ac-curi 6 System (Cat.# 653118)

The center houses four operatingand inpatient care rooms with 36 beds.Its highly experienced and accreditedspecialists provide professional med-ical services at prices which are af-fordable in the current competitiveenvironment. It is a provider clinic forleading insurance companies and ren-ders free services and co-financing foralready insured individuals and bene-ficiaries of the state Universal health-care program respectively.

Free examinations and tests are of-fered within the framework of theNational cancer screening program. Itis available for residents of both Tbili-si and the regions and for internallydisplaced persons.

The clinic is equipped with all ap-propriate technical and human re-sources to provide high quality med-ical services for non-residents.

The Training Center included aspart of the complex is open to assis-tants and doctors of every disciplineand conducts clinical lectures andtrainings given by leading in-house andinvited specialists, with the purposeof sharing expertise with non-oncolo-gy profile colleagues in order to raise-cancer awareness.

The introduction of innovations isanessential component of the center'sstrategic development. Intra operativeradiotherapy (IORT) was launched inNovember 2012, using "INTRA-BEAM" medical equipment alreadytested in the world's leading medicalcenters. As this radiotherapy takesplace in the tumor bed, unlike tradi-tional radiotherapy, the healthy tis-sues remain protected from unneces-sary impacts.

Other- "Liac" medical equipmentis now being used for radiotherapy onbreast, skin cancer, primary and meta-static brain tumors, and abdominal,gynecological and proctologic cancers.The Tbilisi Cancer Center is the onlyone in the Caucasus which has Liacequipment, and therefore it receives pa-tients from neighboring countries.

The so-called ROMA Test is alsoundertaken at Tbilisi Cancer Center.This algorithm-based test predicts therisk of ovarian malignancy, and is thusapplied to reveal ovarian cancer in itsearly stages and identify precancer-ous risks.

Hyperthermia, the latest methodof treatment via elevated temperatureof cancerous growths, was introducedin the center earlier this year. It is used-both independently and in combina-tion with chemo and radiotherapy; ityields the best results on tumors and-spares healthy organs.

Tbilisi Cancer Center renders ser-vices to citizens of any social level,offers high quality medical servicesto preserve life, raises public aware-ness about healing, detecting and pre-venting cancerous diseases and is com-mitted to reducing cancer mortalitylevels in Georgia.

HEALTH FEST

Publisher/Editor in ChiefNana GaguaTel.: (+995) 555 293 003E-mail:[email protected]

The Georgian TIMES# 1 English-Language Newspaper in Georgia

Director:Kakha MaskharashviliTel: (+995) 551 501 313E-mail:[email protected] published in 1993.

The Founder and the President Malkhaz Gulashvili. Tel: (+995) 577 461 046The Georgian Times Media Holding.12, Kikodze str, Tbilisi, Georgia. Tel: (+995 32) 2934405,E-mail: [email protected]; http://www.geotimes.ge

Executive Editor:Mariam ToidzeTel: (+995) 577 727 207E-mail:[email protected]

Contributions to The Georgian TIMES are welcome. If you are interested in submitting an article ornews item, ect. please contact; Tel/fax: (+995 32) 2934405

Copy EditorRumwold LeighTel: (+995) 599 501 452E-mail:[email protected]

8

‘This event is a step towardsthe further development of

the health sector’

The Georgian Times organised a Health Care Festival in TbilisiThe Health Care Fest organised by The Georgian Times was held on

September 25 in the central atrium of the Tbilisi Mall. 8 medical centresparticipated in the event: Healthcare Centre, Tbilisi Oncology Centre, InVitro, New Hospitals, Natalia Kvantaliani Central Blood Bank, Plasma-pheresis Centre, Dream Dental Group and the Neonatology Clinic N Qiron.

A variety of activities took place.The centres demonstrated their equip-ment and instruments and medicalcompanies arranged special promosfor the day. Visitors received freemedical consultations and contribut-ed to donation programmes.

The event was opened by NinoBerdzuli, the Deputy Health Minis-ter of Georgia.

Various participants gave us the-or reactions to the event. Nino Ber-dzuli told us: “I think The GeorgianTimes has made a very interesting

initiative. The Health Care Fest willencourage the companies operatingin the medical sector to find theirplace in the market. During this fes-tival they will communicate directlywith the public, which is of para-mount importance, as the populationwill receive all the necessary infor-mation about the services and newtechnology available at the differentmedical centres. This event is a steptowards the further development ofthe medical sector. Big investmentsare already being made in the health-

care sector, and I do not thinking thinkit is boasting to point out that theongoing reforms being made by thegovernment deserve considerablesupport. The cooperation betweenthe public and private sectors is agreat positive, and enhancing this willenable us to provide high qualitymedical services similar to those of-fered in European countries. I believeour collaboration will be successfuland continue in many other direc-tions”.

Natalia Khonelidze, Directorof the In Vitro Clinic: “Events suchas the Health Care Fest will contrib-ute to the development of medicaltourism. It is important to make surepatients keep coming into Georgia fortreatment instead of leaving it. Eachforeign patient is vitally importantfor Georgia. This is the sine qua nonfor our further advancement. We areglad that The Georgian Times has heldthis event”.

Tamar Danelia, Director ofNeonatology Department of Neo-natology Clinic: “The medical ser-

vices of our clinic are being repre-sented at the fest. Special thanksshould go to The Georgian Times forgiving us the opportunity to make

such a nice presentation. Similarevents are vital for introducing peo-ple to new clinics. This event coin-cides with our jubilee, so we are dou-

President of Media Holding The Georgian Times Malkhaz Gulashvili

President of Media Holding The Georgian Times Malkhaz Gulashvili andNino Berdzuli, the Deputy Health Minister of Georgia

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bly happy with today’s festival”.Davit Motsikulashvili, founder

of the Dream Dental Group: “It isvitally important to enable compa-nies with small to medium-size bud-gets present themselves to the pub-lic, and this is why I think such eventsare of great value. Today’s event wentabove and beyond our expectations.We are happy with both the festivaland our participation in it”.

Dinara Ramishvili, GeriatricDoctor, Director of the NationalTherapeutic Plasmapheresis Cen-tre: “This is a great initiative, as thepopulation should be fully informedabout the developments in this sec-tor. Regrettably, people do not haveenough time to visit the clinics them-selves and see what they offer. Wewelcome such events, as patients

learn helpful and valuable informa-tion from them. You are doing a greatjob for everyone”.

Eka Sanikidze, Doctor of Med-icine and Associate Professor ofthe Oncology Centre: “Today’sevent was of the utmost importancefor us, because this is the first healthcare fest organised in Georgia. Theonly thing similar is the events of thelate 19th century, which were dedi-cated to specific diseases and copiedEuropean models. This is how peo-ple got to know about the availablemedical services then. Today’s eventis not only informational or for busi-ness development, it is a kind of fes-tivity, which provides psychologicaland emotional relief and removes thestigma which prevents them visitingthe doctor in time. This is whathealthcare fests do, and for that Iwould like to express my gratitudeto The Georgian Times”.

Nino Gokieli, Head of PublicRelations of the Natalia Kvan-taliani Central Blood Bank:“Today we have participated in the

event and also held an event of ourown as part of it - Donate BloodSave Life. We hold such events ona regular basis, because there is al-ways a deficiency of blood stocksand we need to continue upgrad-ing them. Our involvement in sim-ilar events is of paramount impor-tance, because it is our job, and weare pleased to take part in thisevent organised by The GeorgianTimes. I want to send specialthanks to the organisers of thefest”.

Luiza Marsagishvili, Doctor ofMedicine, Head of the Laser Ser-vice Department of the HealthcareCentre: “Today’s event is benefi-cial for both the public and our col-leagues. It is of paramount impor-tance because it fosters the develop-ment of specific medical fields andadvanced technologies”.

Natia Khabeishvili, Public Re-lations Manager of New Hospitals:“I welcome the fest organised by TheGeorgian Times. It is well-organised

and has garnered high public interest.The fact that we have been grantedan opportunity to get closer to ourpatients is a matter of great interestto us. Although our clinic enjoys highpublic awareness and popularity,with its multi-profile, high technolo-gy services and highly qualified spe-cialists, we still try to present our-selves to the public personally. Wehave offered more affordable termsto our customers as part of this event,and prepared special vouchers forpatients we could not deliver servic-es to on the spot, inviting them tosee us at the clinic under more favour-able terms and with special discounts.

These vouchers were available forany person who attended”.

The event was summed up asfollows by Malkhaz Gulashvili,President of The Georgian TimesMedia Holding: “The GeorgianTimes has enabled medical centres topresent themselves to potential pa-tients, which is something new forGeorgia. As is widely known, similarevents take place overseas, but nothere. The Georgian Times has alwaysbeen, and continues to be, the initia-tor of progressive developments forthe public.

Similar events will contribute tothe popularisation of Georgian med-ical services in both the medical andtourism sectors. Shopping centressuch as Tbilisi Mall are a hangout fora vast number of tourists, who willthus see the capacities of Georgianmedical services and choose them inpreference to the lower quality ser-vices they receive in their home coun-tries.

The involvement of medical com-panies in this project was high,which is an important factor, and itwill be even higher in future. TheGeorgian Times Media Holding isalso planning to arrange exhibitionsfor the promotion of wine, restau-rants, tourism, industry and otherfields of business, which will raiseawareness of Georgian companieseven further”.


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The Centre of Allergy andImmunology uses continuouslyupdated allergy diagnosis tools andinternationally-recognised high-tech analysers. The accuracy ofthese diagnoses ensures that theright treatment choices can bemade. The allergens it uses forimmunological therapy are man-ufactured by the best companiesin Europe, and a different courseof treatment is devised for eachindividual patient, meaning thatsafe and effective treatment canbe guaranteed.

The Centre is run by Profes-sor Maia Gotua, MD, PhD, theVice-President of the GeorgianAllergology and Clinical Immunol-ogy Association. Prof. Gotua hascompleted many internships andtraining programmes in France,Germany, America, Austria, etc.She participates at internationalforums all over the world and is anactive member of the Drug Aller-gy interest group of the EuropeanAcademy of Allergy and ClinicalImmunology (EAACI), and theEuropean Respiratory and Amer-ican Thoracic Societies. She is alsoa member of the Editorial Boardof the Clinical and Molecular Al-lergy Journal and a reviewer forthe World Allergy OrganisationJournal and the author of morethan 100 scientific publications.

Prof. Gotua is the founder ofmodern allergology in Georgia. Shehas been the mentor of an alreadywidely-recognised new generationof allergologists and is committedto advancing this field further. Sheis actively involved in the elabo-ration and implementation of thenational guidelines for the man-agement of allergic diseases (asth-ma, allergic rhinitis, atopic der-matitis etc.). She has been Geor-gia's coordinator for the Interna-tional Network of Universities forMolecular Allergology and Immu-nology. She is also the PrincipalInvestigator in various interna-tional epidemiological studies andclinical trials.

Here Prof.Gotua tells GT abouther centre and its work.

As a result of our modernlifestyle allergy has become aserious concern, and there-fore a lot of patients attend the

Centre of Allergy and Immu-nology, from early morningtill late at night. Do you seemore children or adults? Howdo patients access your servic-es? What main allergic dis-eases do they have? Are yourservices available for foreigncitizens?

The signs of allergy mostlyappear in early childhood, andparents are more attentive totheir children's health than theirown, therefore we have a few morechildren as patients than adults.The familial manifestation of anallergy is of special significance,particularly when parents or sib-lings suffer from allergic diseases.

A certain number of patientssimply walk in, but the rest havebeen referred by family doctors,pediatricians, otorinolaringolo-gists, dermatologists and otherswho have deemed it proper to in-volve an allergologist in the man-agement of their particular diseas-es.

Patients most frequently comehere with serious or complicatedforms of allergy. Bronchial asth-ma sufferers visit all year round,and we also see many patients suf-fering from seasonal allergic reac-tions such as allergic rhinitis andconjunctivitis. The severe formsof atopic dermatitis, urticaria andangioedema, and complicatedforms of food and insect allergies,are serious problems our patientspresent. Sometimes they haveimmediate life-threatening typesof generalised systemic reactions,including anaphylactic shock, andvery often we are asked to con-duct drug allergy diagnoses. Wetake special care for such patients,in accordance with the latest in-ternational protocols.

How difficult is it to iden-tify the causes of allergies, andhow do you diagnose them?

The various different allergieshave different immunologicalmechanisms. The education andanalytical thinking of a doctordetermine what diagnostic meth-od should be adopted, what tech-nologies should be used and whattreatment should be undertaken.The most convenient method isskin testing for a set of diagnostic

allergens, but if this is impossible(because of exacerbation orchanged skin reactivity) a bloodsample is taken. It is of great im-portance to exclude the non-im-munological causes of diseasewhich happen to induce allergicsymptoms (parasitosis, gas-trointestinal problems, excessivefood consumption and so forth).

Not all doctors are en-dowed with leadership quali-ties, or a talent for both con-ducting scientific research andteaching others. Some claimyou are "groundbreaker" whohas brought lots of new thingsto Georgia. Can you tell us thesecret of your success?

I can simply say - I thank theLord God for my good geneticsfrom a noble, aristocratic, tradi-tional Georgian family, a good ed-ucation in the best institutions,huge personal interest and hardwork. These are the keys to mycareer.

I was very lucky to take myfirst steps in Allergy under the su-pervision of Prof. G. Gurgenidze,the founder of the School of Al-lergology in Georgia.

Prof. Amiran Gamkrelidze wasmy direct mentor in allergy andimmunology, and still a devotedfriend. It was he who got me in-terested in the immunogenetics ofallergic diseases. Now Prof. A.Gamkrelidze is an adviser of ourcentre, and thanks to him ourgroup has moved into the fore-front of modern clinical and sci-

Prof. Maia Gotua and Georgia'sWorld Leading Medical CentreThe Centre of Allergy and Immunologyis a modern, Western-style medicalinstitution which provides allergy-related services for both children andadults by applying the latest technologi-cal methods.

entific allergology. We are striv-ing to maintain that position to-day.

You have visited manyleading medical clinicsaround the world and builtcontacts with their highlyqualified staff. What kind ofcriteria do you use when se-lecting staff?

Frankly, it is still hard to findhighly qualified people in Geor-gia. We have many gifted and hard-working young people, but manyof them go abroad for an educa-tion and do not return for fear ofbeing unable to find a suitable job.My goal is to make the Centre ofAllergy and Immunology a West-ern-type competitive medical in-stitution which offers prestigiousand highly remunerated jobs. Thiswill only be possible if its diagnos-tic and curative technologies meetinternational standards and its staffundergo continual professional de-velopment.

Special efforts are being exert-ed to expand our immunology lab,which is being successfully run byDoctor of Biology Tamar Abra-midze. She has undertaken vari-ous fundamental internships inleading laboratories in Europe andthe United States, leads the re-search division and participates inmany international scientific fo-rums. The lab's highly profession-al staff conduct ongoing internaland external quality control of itsactivities.

The centre employs nurses andsupport personnel alongside the 10

allergologists. High quality medi-cal education, ongoing training,foreign languages, fundamentalknowledge of modern computertechnologies and good communi-cation skills are mandatory. All theyounger allergologists initiallyworked under my close supervi-sion but now conduct their dutiesindependently.

We often convene extendedconsultations at the centre to re-view complex cases, and each doc-tor has an opportunity to expresstheir opinion at these. I am hap-py to say that we have a group ofeducation-oriented, thoughtfuldoctors, who read a lot, and I amgrowing along with them.

The staff have access to brandnew medical books and paid pro-fessional websites, which are a se-rious support for their profession-

al development. I am really veryproud of our allergologists. Ourdoctors are members of the Euro-pean Academy of Allergy and Clin-ical Immunology (EAACI) andregularly participate in its annualcongresses. Two of their scientif-ic works have been awarded EAA-CI prizes. This year alone 6 arti-cles by members of our staff havebeen published in internationallyreputable journals.

Our very experienced allergol-ogist Dr. Maia Rukhadze, MD,PhD, has been elected to the boardof the Allergy, Asthma and SportSection of the EAACI. Twice shehas been delegated to attend Eu-ropean Parliament sessions atwhich issues of allergy manage-ment and prevention have beendiscussed. One of our young doc-tors, Nino Lomidze, has beenelected a board member of the pri-mary care section of the EAACIJunior Council and is actively in-volved in its activities. The onlymale allergist at our centre, Bidz-ina Kulumbegov, has a vast num-ber of patients but also manages

to anchor a medical programmeon Imedi TV, and deservedly en-joys the love and respect of thepublic. Elene Kakabadze, a moth-er of three daughters, manages torun our Centre's Batumi branchand receives patients on a regularbasis. Nino Mchedlishvili, a moth-er of twin boys, takes part in in-ternational congresses throughreceived grants. Nana Mgaloblish-vili, the senior allergist of our Av-labari branch, is working on a the-sis on the latest methods for themanagement of Bronchial Asth-ma.

All our staff, whether doctors(Madona Devidze, Ketevan Kvar-atskhelia and others) or nurses, arepillars of our centre, unique in theirown way and professionally pro-gressive. We endeavour to supportour staff and celebrate our com-mon achievements together. I am

constantly seeking new, talentedand future-oriented young people,and actively cooperate with themedical universities. The Centreof Allergy and Immunology is anacademic medical base for theDavid Tvildiani Medical Univer-sity.

What can we expect fromthe Centre of Allergy and Im-munology in the future?

You may remember the wordsof Gottfried Leibniz: "The presentis saturated with the past and ispregnant with the future". We be-lieve it is of the utmost impor-tance to maintain the traditionswe have received from our teach-ers and then add new accomplish-ments and progress. Our develop-ment concept is therefore: "edu-cation, collaboration and profes-sionalism".

The Centre of Allergy andImmunology has been a leadingfacility in its field throughout its17 year history and develops pro-fessional practice and implementseducational projects both in Geor-gia and on a global scale. The Cen-tre was the first in the Caucasus tointroduce the allergy diagnosis andtreatment technologies developedby the world's leading companiesand to conduct clinical activitieswhich meet the latest Europeanand US standards. Our future ac-tivities will also be based on theapplication of the latest innova-tions in allergy and immunologydiagnosis and treatment. We wouldlike to expand our School of Asth-ma and Allergy and make educa-tional TV and radio programmesfor the Georgian public.

The motto of our centre is:"One step forward". We were oneof the first medical facilities in East-ern Europe to introduce high techmolecular allegro diagnostics, about3 years ago, and in 2015 we signeda ten-year contract with the Med-ical University of Vienna on coop-eration in the field of molecularallergology and immunology. Ourobjective is to develop these initia-tives further, as they are promisingvectors in global allergology.

The priority of the centre isto further advance our immuno-therapy work, including that forinsect allergies. In September ofthis year I participated in the GINA(Global Initiative of Asthma Man-agement and Prevention) Assem-bly, as a member, during the Euro-pean Respiratory Society Congressin London. The latest asthma di-agnosis, treatment and preventionmethods discussed in Londonshould be shared with my col-leagues in Georgia.

Maia Gotua


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Although the originalreason for in vitro fertilisa-tion was the absence of theuterine tubes or their ob-struction, infertile couplescan now use this method forany reason, whether it iscaused by the infertility ofthe man or the woman.

According to WorldHealth Organisation data theinfertility rates of men andwomen are about the same.Male infertility is mainlycaused by the spread of sex-ually transmitted diseases,environmental stress and avariety of other reasons.There are numerous causesof female infertility: theseinclude genital infections,malformations, reproductivesystem disorders such aspolycystosis, and en-dometriosis and immuno-logical and genetic factors.If these problems cannot beeliminated by drug interven-tion, in vitro fertilisation isthe optimal solution.

A well-planned strategy,special and friendly relation-ships with patients and high

IVF & HumanReproductive Clinic

professionalism have driventhe success of this clinic.The selection of a reproduc-tive clinic and a suitable spe-cialist is of vital importancefor each patent: the patientchooses the specialist theyare comfortable with, whowill listen to their problemsand increase their chance ofachieving pregnancy. The InVitro clinic is staffed by suchspecialists. We are the lead-

ers in our field, and morethan 7,000 couples have al-ready been made happy asa result of our great practi-cal and theoretical experi-ence.

It is widely acknowl-edged that the treatment ofinfertility is an emotional andstressful experience for anycouple, and we understandhow much they appreciatethe quiet environment of theclinic and the professional-ism of our doctors. Our doc-tors do everything they canto create a quiet atmospherefor their patients, not keepthem waiting for their visitsand make them feel they arereceiving special supportfrom us throughout the pro-cess.

The ''In Vitro'' clinic hasacquired its distinctive, daz-zling and professional huefrom working with the bestprofessors of Israel.Through this collaboration

It is time to talk about the achievements of the ''In Vitro'' clinic, whose core team hasbeen working successfully in this field of medicine for 18 years. We were the first teamin Georgia to tackle the big issue of in vitro fertilisation; the first test-tube baby and thefirst baby delivered by surrogate mother were both born thanks to our team. The tech-nique of embryo and sperm freezing was established here as a result of our round-the-clock toil, as was the more advanced method of oocytes cryopreservation.

we have developed a rangeof individual approachestowards patients and re-fined the details of our treat-ment programmes, whichhas led to higher rates ofpregnancy. The clinic's workis measured by a success

index, applied international-ly, and ours is as high asanyone's, even those of theworld leading Israeli clinicswe work with.

Couples are required tolead a healthy lifestyle toachieve pregnancy. Theyshould therefore realise thatsmoking, alcohol and weightproblems will have a negativeimpact on their fertility.

Over the years the ''In Vit-ro'' clinic has developed anumber of different facets.It includes a surgical depart-ment, where operations areperformed with the latestmodel, advanced endoscop-ic devices. Our Departmentof Radiology conducts ef-fective gynaecological andobstetric treatment of a va-riety of pathological condi-tions in 2D, 3D and 4D for-mats. Our laboratory of theclinic equipped with the ad-vanced technologies allows

the accurate and prompt de-tection and disclosure of therare pathologies. The clinichouses the latest medicalequipment.

The ''In Vitro'' clinic nowalso provides outpatient andsurgical services for thyroid

sufferers. The full and par-tial removal of the thyroidgland is conducted throughthe intraoperative and post-operative management ofpatients. It is acknowledgedthat the thyroid plays animportant role in the infertil-ity of both men and women,and improper treatment ofthyroid disorders often be-comes a major cause of in-fertility.

It is not only infertile cou-ples who visit the ''In Vitro''

clinic. He parents of minorscome to us to protect theirchildren from reproductiveand endocrinologic risks atan early age; we are alsoconsulted about contracep-tion planning, and by thosewanting the necessary med-

ical examinations beforestarting a family or a sexuallife.

The ''In Vitro'' clinic is themember of European Soci-ety of Human Embryologyand Reproduction. It haslong experience of workingwith international associa-tions and organisations.

Address: Lubliana Str.2/6 ,www.invitro.ge. Face-book: In Vitro Fertilization.Tel: 215 7777, 215 7771.


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Viral hepatitis has partic-ular importance among liverdiseases. According to theWorld Health Organization,150 million people globallyhave chronic hepatitis C in-fection and 240 million peo-ple are chronically infectedwith hepatitis B virus.

HEPA – A clinic of excellencefor diagnostics and treatmentof liver diseases in Georgia

Georgia has the fifth high-est proportion of chronichepatitis C infections in theworld. 5.4% of the adult pop-ulation suffers from it. Hep-atitis C and its complicationsare one of the major reasonsfor morbidity, mortality, hos-pitalization and disability in

Georgia.The Georgian French

Joint Hepatology Clinic"Hepa" is one of the coun-try's leading medical institu-tions in the field of liver dis-eases. It has been workingsince 2007, and is distin-guished by its world-class,cutting edge medical equip-ment and highly qualifiedspecialists who have com-pleted short -and long-terminternships in leading medi-cal centers of the USA andWestern Europe.

This clinic was the firstin Georgia, and in EasternEurope, to introduce the lat-est and most accurate non-invasive method of liver fi-brosis and cirrhosis diagno-sis - Liver Elastography,which is conducted withFrench Fibroscan appara-tus. Virtually all the latestand most advanced meth-ods for the diagnosis andtreatment of viral hepatitisand other liver diseases areavailable in the clinic.

Our services include:* The diagnosis of viral

hepatitis A, B, C, D and E,autoimmune hepatitis, alco-holic and non-alcoholic fat-ty liver disease and the oth-er hepatic diseases throughimmunoassay enzyme tests,immunofluorescence analy-sis, immunoblotting analysisand other modern tech-

niques.* The assessment of he-

patic steatosis (fatty liver)grades with controlled at-tenuation parameters by us-ing latest model Fibroscanapparatus.

* The diagnosis of liverfibrosis/cirrhosis, inflamma-tory activity, alcoholic andnon-alcoholic steatosis andsteatohepatitis by means ofFibroTest and FibroMax.

* The detection andquantification of hepatitis B,C and D virus DNA/RNA inblood by the real time poly-merase chain reaction meth-od using the world's bestCOBAS TaqMan automaticanalyzer and test kits.

* The detection of hepa-titis B and C genotypes andsubtypes through the re-verse hybridization (the lin-ear array and Inno LIPAsystems) and sequencingmethods.

* Conducting liver func-tion tests, and determiningother biochemical indices byusing the latest generationautomatic biochemical anal-yser.

* Conducting abdominalultrasound examinations.

* Conducting gastrofi-broscopy examinations.

All these services enableGeorgians suffering from vi-ral hepatitis and other liverdiseases to obtain all thenecessary internationalstandard medical servicesthey need without having totravel overseas, which is avery costly and practicallyinaccessible option for themajority of the population.

It is worth mentioningthat clinic "Hepa" was oneof the initiators and imple-menters of Georgia's nation-al hepatitis C elimination

Infectious and non-infectious liver diseases represent one of the most seriouspublic health problems worldwide as well as in Georgia because of theirhigh burden and causing very serious and life-threatening complications.

program. Together with theInfectious Diseases andAIDS Centre it played a cru-cial role in getting Georgiaselected as the first modelcountry for hepatitis C elim-ination in the world. Beforethe start of this program,

when a high ranking delega-tion from the US Centers forDiseases Control and Pre-vention and the Biopharma-ceutical Company "GileadSciences" visited Tbilisi inApril 2015 they paid a spe-cial visit to the clinic "Hepa",familiarized themselves withits activities and potentialand gave it the highest as-sessment.

Since the start of the na-tional hepatitis C eliminationprogram about 2,500 hepati-tis C patients have alreadyreceived treatment in theclinic "Hepa". This equatesto 12% of all patients treat-ed within this program, thesecond highest proportion,with only the Infectious Dis-eases and AIDS Centre hav-ing treated more so far.


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Allergy XXI Century

We make testing for the total and specif-ic Ig E (Immunoglobulin E) antibody, thentake skin relevant to different allergens. Onthe basis of these, we diagnose drug aller-gy also. This method is included in the In-ternational protocols.

We have been working in close contactswith the German company FOOKE LAB, theFrench companies VEDA LAB and ALLDI-AG and the British Company INBIO as well.

Our full range of services is as follows:1. Consultation -- stating an objective

evaluation of the patient's condition andchoosing an examination plan for each in-dividual;

2. Pulmonary function diagnosis/spirometry/ - for infants and children aged

Our centres goals are diagnosis and treatment for children and adults who suffer fromvarious types of allergic diseases. These include atopic dermatitis/eczema, severe andchronic urticarial, various allergic contact forms of dermatitis and upper and lowerrespiratory tract allergies such as: allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis, pharyngitis, bron-chial asthma and allergic gastrointestinal diseases.

Irina Miminoshvili, Director of the Centre, EAACI/ European Academy Allergy andClinical Immunology, Doctor of Medicine - "Patients visit our clinic by appointment (Tel:230-26-49). An individual medical record is opened for each patient, and this includes adetailed description of the patient's problem, its origin and development and any previousother medical examinations and treatment they have had.We also record other complaintsthe patient might have in addition to the one they get us to know with.. Based on this, weformulate individual examination plans which allow us to make exact diagnoses and so weuse International standard medical treatment.

Our highly professional personnel creates a comfortable environment for our patients.Examinations can be done on the spot. Our clinic has contracts with German and Frenchcompanies which supply us with European standard medical equipment and reagents, inorder we could offer continually a European standard services. Our staff includes threeDoctors of Medicine and several other experienced medical personnel.

I would like to advise patients to keep, and bring with them all documentation they have onprevious medical examinations to the clinic. As the human organism is an integral system, aproblem in part of it influences other parts, and this also is a result on how allergies develop."

Irina Miminoshvili

4 and above;3. Allergen diagnosis -- determination

of which specific antibodies are in the blood;4. Drug allergy diagnosis -- conducted

via skin prick tests, intradermal and patchtests;

5. Twenty-four-hour monitoring of res-piratory functions for bronchial asthmasufferers;

6. Identification of household dust mites(in beds, on carpets etc.) so that preventivemeasures can be taken;

7. Laser therapy and special nebuliser-sinus therapy for allergic rhinitis and si-nusitis;

8. Desensitization -- a special method ofallergy treatment.


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Innova, High Quality MedicalServices Offered by Professionals

Innova is a Multi-Profile Medical Centre founded by a team of professional physicians witha progressive attitude towards their patients. This is one of the factors which gives the centre aspecial importance and credibility.

These physicians are:Gocha Chutkerashvili -

Neurosurgeon. He has been work-ing in medicine since 1993 and isan Expert-Neurosurgeon at theMinistry of Labour, Health andSocial Affairs of Georgia, the au-thor of a long list of scientificworks, a member of the WorldFederation of Neurosurgical Soci-eties and European Association ofNeurosurgical Societies and theClinical Director of Innova.

Irakli Chelishvili - Neuro-surgeon, Doctor of Medicine, Pro-fessor, Director of the Neurosur-gical Department of the Instituteof Clinical Medicine, author of 20scientific works and the Head ofthe Neurosurgical Department ofInnova.

Vadim Khatiashvili - Doc-tor-Gynaecologist-Endoscopist,member of the Moscow Club ofgynaecologist-endoscopists, au-thor of 19 scientific works and 1manual, one of the leading spe-cialists in Laparoscopic Surgerywho has successfully performedthe most difficult operations withKarl Storz equipment, Gynaecol-ogist -Endoscopist at Innova.

Irakli Todua - Gynaecologist,Oncosurgeon, Doctor of Medi-cine, holder of a Certificate fromthe Medical Colleges of the Unit-ed Hospitals of Paris (College deMedicine des Hopitaux de Paris)in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Gy-naecologist, Oncosurgeon and lead-ing specialist at Innova.

Ramaz Aglemashvili - Or-thopedist - Traumatologist, Doc-tor of Medicine, qualified in Ger-many at the Stauferklinikum, inthe United Kingdom at the RoyalLondon Hospital and in France atthe St. Etienne and Dijon Univer-sity Clinics. He is the Head of theOrthopedic Department of the Sci-entific-Research Institute of Clin-ical Medicine. Under his leader-ship, the less invasive method ofhip and knee joint replacementhas been introduced to Georgia. Hewas the first doctor in Georgia toundertake endo-prosthesis of an-kle and elbow joints and oncolog-ical surgery for various localisedtumors. He has vast practical ex-perience in the spheres of re-en-doprosthesis, unhealed and incor-rectly healed fractures, bone andjoint system complications and the

segmented lengthening of tubularbones and also performs arthro-scopic operations. He is Head ofthe Orthopedic TraumatologyDepartment of Innova.

These leading doctors joined

Davit Dotiashvili and Zurab Nari-manidze in promoting the idea ofproviding high quality medical ser-vices and on 1 October 2015, theyestablished the Multi-profile Med-ical Centre Innova as part of TbilisiCentral Hospital. They were soonjoined by Giorgi Kipiani - GeneralDirector, Gocha Chutkerashvili -Medical Director and TeaChikviladze - Administrative Di-rector.

Innova is located at 7 Sandro

Euli St. Tbilisi. It covers 7,000 m2and uses the most up-to-dateequipment. It has 8 operationalblocks, a 30-bed reanimation unit,a 70-bed in-patient hospital and ahigh technology Diagnostic Cen-tre. It fully conforms to Europeanstandards and is adapted to theneeds of disabled persons. It pro-vides a comfortable environment,food and basic supplies.

The emergency and outpatientdepartments and reception are lo-cated on the first floor, while thein-patient department is on thesecond floor and the reanimationand intensive therapy depart-ments, and the 8 operationalblocks, are on the third floor; anin vitro department and cafeteriaare available on the fourth floor. Apatient first attends reception,where the coordinator directsthem to the appropriate sectionand issues an outpatient card. In-nova specialists render consulta-tions in the outpatient departmenton the first floor. Our primary ob-jective is to ensure the delivery ofhigh quality medical services foreach patient who visits the clinic.

"The fact that the founders ofInnova are leading surgeons hasmade our clinic immediately pop-

ular. The high professionalism ofour doctors has made our successvisible. A visit to Innova is easyand available for all. There is astereotype that a private clinicwhich meets the highest Europe-an standards is expensive but thisdoes not apply to us. People shouldnot be scared that we will chargehigh fees. We render services forevery type of customer. We areinvolved in the state-sponsoreduniversal healthcare programme,and also cooperate with the bud-getary offices and private insur-ance companies. We also offer aninternal instalment payment sys-tem for those patients who can-not afford to make full paymentfor some of our services. Our clin-ic is intended for all. Let no onethink that this clinic sets the high-est prices," - Tea Chikviladze,Administrative Director of In-nova, told The GeorgianTimes.

The main services of the In-nova Multi-Profile Medical Cen-tre are:

* Gynaecology. Head - VadimKhatiashvili

* Oncogynaecology. Head -Irakli Todua

* Neurosurgery. Head - GochaChutkerashvili

* Orthopedics-traumatology.Head - Ramaz Aglemashvili

* General surgery. Head - Le-kso Lagvilava

* Plastic surgery. Head - Ale-ksandre Kutubidze

* Reanimation. Head - Malk-haz Kuchashvili

Innova offers the followingoutpatient services:

Therapy - Head - EkaterineDaushvili;

Doplerography - Head - NinoPrangishvili;

Densitometry - Head - NanaKajaia;

Instrumental research - Head -Lia Jvarsheishvili;

Cardiology - Head - EkaterineDaushvili;

Angiology - Head - GiorgiJinchveladze;

Mammology - Head - GogitaDzagnidze;

Ophtalmology - Head -Mikhail Kataev (Invited special-ist from Russia)

Endocrinology - Head - MaiaKhubua;

Gastroenterology - Head -Oleg Koiava;

Computer Tomography - Head- Nikoloz Sainishvili;

Laboratory investigations -Head - Mariam Mestvirishvili;

In vitro department - Head -Ketevan Osidze;

X-ray/ultrasound examination- Head - Vasil Peradze.

The top priorities of Innovaare:

* Medical sphere develop-ment;

* Development of innovativeand high technology services;

* High quality services andprotection of patient health;

* Flexibility and availability ofmedical services;

* Continuous development ofmedical personnel's qualifications;

* Continual service improve-ment;

* Cooperation with interna-tional organisations and profes-sional unions.

Gocha Chutkerashvili, Ex-pert-neurosurgeon and Medi-cal Director of Innova, told us:

"Our clinic has conducted thefirst stem cell transplantation in

Georgia. This procedure is used intreating various diseases of thenervous system, but mainly spinalcord injuries. The transplant wassuccessful. We are also engaged inglobal stem cell research. Ameri-can colleagues recently visited ourclinic as part of this research. Weare the only clinic which offersthe European method of scoliosistreatment, and I can safely say thatwe try our best to keep up with allthe latest innovations in worldmedicine and introduce them toGeorgia through our clinic.

"Innova is the only clinic inGeorgia where the transplant ofankle and shoulder joints is under-

taken by orthopedic-trauma spe-cialists. We have extensive con-tact with the leading clinics inGermany and the Czech Republic,and often receive colleagues fromthere. Right now we have Turkishcolleagues visiting Innova, who aregiving consultations and medicaltreatment. We also perform somesurgical operations alongsidethem, and our relations developin this way.

We are involved in various suc-cessful clinical research pro-grammes. In the future we plan toincrease the scope of our serviceseven further; we're looking for high-ly qualified Georgian doctors, whohave completed internships or re-ceived a medical education over-seas, as this will enable us to expandour range of healthcare servicesand further enrich our clinic".

Colleagues from France, Ger-many, Israel and Turkey cometo Georgia from time to time toperform the most difficult surgi-cal operations at Innova. Thefamous France-based surgeon-gynaecologist Revaz Bochorish-vili, Director of the CICE (In-ternational Centre of Endoscop-ic Surgery), pays frequent visitsto the clinic.

Innova is planning further en-largement and the introduction ofnew Cardio-surgery and oncologyservices, remaining in step withits foreign counterparts.


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The Dream Dental Group is one of the leading dental clinics inGeorgia, located in the centre of the capital (at Baratashvili Str. 10),and offers the highest standard dental services 24 hours a day.

‘Heart, Motivation and Devotion are themost important things in any business’ –

Davit Motsikulashvili’s Formula for Success

Its team believes that threemajor factors are necessary fordelivering high quality dentist-ry services. These are: a teamof professionals, ideal hygiene/sterilisation conditions and apleasant and friendly atmo-sphere. Its motto is “Your smileis our reputation”.

“The patient is almost aGod, and deserves special re-spect. Each one of them is ourguest and we feel like hosts. Wemust greet our patients with ourtraditional hospitability, as ifthey were visiting a Georgianfamily,” Davit Motsikulashvili,Owner of Dream DentalGroup, told us The GeorgianTimes. Here he expands of thework and secret of the clinic.

When did the idea of settingup a clinic emerge?

I am not actually from themedical sector, strangelyenough. But one day I fell inlove with a beautiful girl whoturned out to be a dentist, andthe idea of setting up a dentalclinic was born from love. Wedid some research, and this re-vealed that there were nearly2,400 dental clinics operatingin Tbilisi which did not pro-vide full and high quality den-tal services to their customers.Sterilization was their mainproblem. The poor conditionswe found in the dental centresmotivated us to put this idea

into action.We first had the idea of the

clinic in 2013, it had becomereal by September and weopened the clinic immediately.

What features does yourclinic have and what makes youdifferent from similar clinics?

Dream Dental Group is an

American-type clinic, wherevarious dental operations arecarried out in the same place.These are: therapy (includingcosmetic tooth restoration),skyce (zircon, diamonds), whit-ening, prosthodontics, orth-odontics, surgery, implanta-tion, paradontology and childdentistry – all these services arerendered in one place at afford-able prices. Dental fillings forchildren start from 20 GEL andthose for adults from 35 GEL.

Why did we call it “DreamDental Group”? Because a patientcan receive any kind of dental ser-vice at any time of the day or night,and because we pay attention tohygiene and sterilization. We useonly the best quality materials.We own the latest generation la-ser and vector devices, which per-form miracles during work suchas teeth whitening and gum treat-ment. PealSmile – the most ad-vanced teeth whitening system,which is absolutely harmless andvery effective - is offered only atour clinic.

Another important novelty

is our House call service whichis very comfortable for disabledpatients, although the servicewill be available absolutely foreveryone.

We also offer panoramic ra-diographs through the ortho-pantomogram procedure. Pa-tients needing anaesthetic canask for a special American Gelwhich makes the injection com-pletely painless. Unlike in oth-er dental clinics, an allergistserves our patients on the spot.Moreover, we have a uniqueorthodontic offer: sapphirebraces, which offer the maxi-mum comfort.

During tooth implantationwe use the highest quality ma-terials, made in Germany, Swit-zerland and Israel. The dentallab operates in the clinic itself,which increases quality and re-duces the time needed to ob-tain a final result. Most impor-tantly, I tell you with full re-sponsibility that a team of high-ly skilled professionals treatsthe patients with smiles on theirfaces and great care.

Child dentistry is a specialfocus of your clinic. What kindof dental services do you offeryour youngest and most capri-cious patients?

We always try our best toimagine that we are the patient– especially in the cases of chil-dren, who are often stressedwhen visiting a doctor.

I still remember, and per-haps will never forget, the feel-ing I had when I first went tothe dentist. I was gripped byfear and nervousness – and bythe specific odour which can besmelled in many clinics eventoday. We have therefore creat-ed a new, colourful environment– a so-called “Dream Land” -for our young customers, wherethey feel like they are in a fairytale during their dental opera-tions. The dentists sing and playwith the children; they selectand watch their favourite car-toons. We will soon have a larg-er monitor in the clinic, so chil-dren will be able to watch themon a big screen. Following theirdental work the children choosea gift and are given an incentivecertificate.

Right now we are develop-ing a menu, the first page ofwhich will include a colour se-lection of dental fillings and thesecond a list of cartoons, fromwhich the child chooses the onethey want to watch. The thirdnew service we will add in thenear future will be actorsdressed as various cartoon char-acters. We will have the follow-ing figures roaming round theclinic: a lion, a female monkey,a pirate, a mermaid and Sponge-Bob. We will soon have a paint-ed wall, where our little patientscan have souvenir photos tak-en with these figures. We willalso have a surprise to give tothe winners of our games.

You participated in theHealth Care Fest organised byThe Georgian Times and pre-sented your services to thepublic. How important are suchevents?

I believe such events are vi-tally important for both the clin-ics and potential patients. Theyare mutually beneficial and up-grade public awareness. Thefest is the ideal way to promoteoneself and one’s services pub-

licly. I would like similar eventsto take place more frequently.

Can you tell us your futureplans?

We are planning to openbranches in Rustavi and Goriin the future. Though our firstpriority is to develop our aes-thetic line, and we are going toopen an Aesthetic Centre in ourbuilding.

You have completelychanged direction professional-ly and done so successfully.Can you give us your formulafor success?

The first thing you need isheart, I mean, fondness for yourjob. This is the most importantthing in any business. After thatcome motivation and then de-votion to your work, which islinked to ongoing education.These factors form a chain,which I could call a formula forsuccess. If we are guided by thisformula I believe any goal isachievable.

Thank you for an interest-ing interview. I wish you fur-ther success!

Tamar Dughashvili


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