24:T47d,

Georgian Health Minister Mikheil Sarjveladze on Monday said the Government plans to expand the range of medicines subject to reference pricing, as part of efforts to better protect consumer interests.

The Minister stated the state will play an “active” role in ensuring that pricing mechanisms operate “as effectively as possible” for the public. He added that the list of medicines covered by regulated prices is expected to grow.

Sarjveladze explained that the reference pricing system is continuously reviewed and that, at present, prices are considered “fair”.

“If a need arises to revise the price of a specific medicine, this is reviewed periodically and decisions are made without delay. Our main priority is the consumer and we believe that the prices already set are fair,” he said.

He added that a key objective is to ensure that medicines in Georgia are available at the same price levels as in a group of four benchmark countries used for comparison.

25:T517,

Giga Lemonjava, a member of the Coalition for Change, has accused Bidzina Ivanishvili, the founder and honorary chair of the ruling Georgian Dream party, of responsibility for what he described as a “severe political and economic crisis” in Georgia.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Lemonjava said recent government measures, including regulatory interventions in pricing, amount to “populism” and “manipulation of people’s hardship”. He also criticised the involvement of the State Security Service in economic matters, calling it unprecedented.

“Georgia is a poor country and is becoming poorer under the current government,” Lemonjava said, referring to the ruling Georgian Dream as an “illegitimate regime”. He further alleged widespread corruption and described Ivanishvili as an oligarch whose actions are contributing to the country’s economic decline.

His comments come after the Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission approved an increase in electricity tariffs, raising household rates by five tetri and commercial tariffs by five to six tetri.

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