Opposition demands parliamentary summons for Health Minister over Duchenne treatment decision

The opposition party For Georgia on Tuesday said it will urgently summon the Health Minister to parliament through an interpellation procedure, following the government’s position on funding treatment for children with a rare genetic condition.

Speaking at a briefing, Ketevan Bakaradze, a member of the parliamentary Health Committee, said the Health Minister must answer questions on what the ministry and the government are doing for patients who need urgent medical support.

She accused the authorities of effectively abandoning children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, saying that 31 children had been “left facing tragedy” after the minister’s latest briefing.

Bakaradze said the minister had refused to meet affected families for months and that his public statements amounted to a rejection of state funding for a life-extending drug.

She added that the explanations provided by the Health Minister were unacceptable to both parents and the wider public, and announced that the opposition would demand urgent accountability in parliament.

In response, Health Minister Mikheil Sarjveladze said it was currently impossible to give clear timelines for decisions on treatment access, citing uncertainty even among major international regulators.

He said that neither UK authorities nor the European Medicines Agency can provide precise answers regarding outcomes or timelines, and that Georgia is taking into account international practice when making decisions.

Sarjveladze added that the ministry will continue working with relevant institutions but said it is not possible to set specific deadlines for final decisions on treatment policies.