December 5, 2022
News
Caritas Czech Republic has been working on cancer prevention for years. In 2019, with the financial support of the Czech Development Agency, we built and equipped Zugdidi Screening Center which enables the population of West Georgia to receive screening services on the spot. Since 2022, Within the Czech MEDEVAC program-supported project, Caritas Czech Republic closely partnered with Georgian Medical Holding, and as a result, hospitals of Batumi and Rukhi now have onco-gynecological medical equipment that will prevent the local population from traveling to Tbilisi, the capital city, for receiving endoscopic examinations.
Caritas Czech Republic actively worked on cancer prevention in 2022
In 2022, Carits Czech Republic actively worked on cancer prevention activities in West Georgia. Within the project financially supported by the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic through its MEDEVAC Program, our organization provided trainings for primary healthcare doctors on onco-gynecological topics and worked on raising awareness about cancer prevention, with special attention to vaccination against the human Papillomavirus. Last week, Caritas Czech Republic donated onco-gynecological medical equipment to Rukhi and Batumi hospitals with a total budget of 142 000 Euros.
“Cancer prevention is one of the flagships of Caritas Czech Republic’s work as we believe that early diagnosis and treatment can save the lives of thousands of people. With the project supported by the Czech MEDEVAC program, hospitals of Batumi and Rukhi now have the modern endoscopy equipment which will help them to conduct medical examinations for the people living in West Georgia on the spot.” – noted Iskandar Mina, Country Director of Caritas Czech Republic and added that Caritas Czech Republic will continue working on raising awareness about the importance of cancer prevention as well as on capacity building of medical personnel in the future.
“The support received from the Government of Czech Republic within the framework of various projects is especially important for Georgian Medical Holding and its clinics. Equipping our clinics as well as providing trainings for the medical staff in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti and Adjara regions, will make quality medical treatment more accessible for the local population. This approach will also contribute to increase referrals in terms of early diagnosis, raise awareness among the population, which ultimately will reduce the mortality rate caused by oncological diseases. We would like to thank Caritas Czech Republic and the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic for this project.” – said Lado Shelia, Director of Georgian Medical Holding.
The project “Improvement of quality of gynecologic cancer care in West Georgia” was launched in 2022 and aimed at improving the quality of onco-gynecological services in the regions of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti and Ajara. To this end, Caritas Czech Republic equipped Rukhi and Batumi hospitals with modern endoscopy equipment and provided medical personnel with the relevant training sessions.
Cervical Cancer is among the most prevalent diseases in Georgia
Since 2015, annually, around 10 000 to 11 000 new cases of malignant tumors are registered in the cancer registry of Georgia. Out of this number, 53% is related to female cancer – cervical and uterus cancer is on the top list of the five most prevalent cancer diseases among women in Georgia. One of the main problems is the late diagnosis of cancer, whilst early diagnosis increases the effectiveness of treatment at the initial stage.
Considering the above-mentioned, the initiative addressed the needs related to low geographical accessibility and utilization of available screening programs as well as the need related to the low quality of oncology medical services provided in the regions of Georgia. The total budget of this initiative was 205 000 Euros, out of which 70% was allocated for the procurement of equipment for the mentioned state hospitals that are managed by the project partner Georgian Medical Holding.
Caritas Czech Republic has been continuously supporting cancer prevention activities in the country
Caritas Czech Republic has been conducting information campaigns on cancer prevention and early detection in the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region since 2010. Initially, our organization provided medical examinations in the villages through a mobile clinic. However, for further medical services, locals had to travel to Tbilisi, the capital city. In 2019, with the financial support of Czech Development Agency, Caritas Czech Republic built the Zugdidi Screening Center that enables the population of West Georgia to receive state screening services on the spot.
Since its opening in November 2019, Zugdidi Screening Center provides state programs for breast, cervical, colorectal, and prostate cancer screening for the whole population of West Georgia. It also provides therapeutic, gynecological, endocrinological, and other types of examinations and tests. After almost three years, thousands of locals have already benefited from these medical services provided in Zugdidi Screening Center.
This material was prepared in the scope of the project financed within the Official Development Assistance of the Czech Republic and implemented through the partnership between the Czech Development Agency and Caritas Czech Republic
