Transparency International Georgia is concerned that the Chiatura hospital reacted to criticism voiced by one of its doctors by firing him.

 

In April, TI Georgia published an article on its blog, describing some concerns that doctor Malkhaz Tsereteli and other staff at the Chiatura hospital had told us about. Tsereteli had been working as a dedicated doctor in the community for more than 23 years. We now learned that he was laid off on May 17 and that his firing appers to be the hospital’s reaction to his public statements.

 

After the release of TI Georgia’s blog, Tsereteli also gave several interviews to media outlets, highlighting that nurses had not received a salary for several months, that at times not enough hospital beds were available to treat  patients and that he himself had been working without a written contract for months, with a salary of as little as GEL 160.

 

It is unfortunate that Dr. Tsereteli’s courageous step to publicly talk about problems in his work environment was not used by the hospital’s management and its owner to work on improving the situation and addressing some of the concerns, which can also be found in other hospitals across the country.

 

TI Georgia deeply regrets the course of events and asks the Ministry of Labour Health and Social Affairs to investigate the dismissal of Dr. Tsereteli in light of the activities he fulfilled in the hospital.  

 

Transparency international Georgia calls on IRAO, the owner of the hospital, and the hospital’s management company GeoHospital, owned by Kuratio Hospitals, a daughter company of GPI, to study the situation carefully, to reconsider the way they treat their employees and to use criticism voiced by Dr. Tsereteli to improve the situation for patients and staff  in Chiantura and in other hospitals.

 

TI Georgia also calls on the owner of IRAO and GPI, the Vienna Insurance Group, one of the largest European insurance groups, which is listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange, to ensure fair treatment of employees in its daughter companies as part of its corporate social responsibility.