Health Minister: no doctor has the right to refuse medical care to a patient

Georgia’s Health Minister Mikheil Sarjveladze said doctors have no right to refuse medical assistance to patients, describing any such refusal by a medical facility as a serious matter requiring investigation and legal response.

“When a clinic refuses to admit a patient, this is an especially important and concerning circumstance. Naturally, we try to establish whether there has been any violation,” Sarjveladze said.

He added calls between emergency medical services and clinics are routinely recorded as part of standard procedure, and that the recordings were available during the review of the case.

Sarjveladze said he had met with the management of Batumi Republican Hospital on Thursday evening to discuss the circumstances in detail.

“It is categorically unacceptable and necessarily requires a legal response,” the minister said, adding that legal action would be taken regardless of whether those involved wanted it or what form they chose to defend themselves.

Sarjveladze said an 85-year-old woman who required treatment for a post-operative complication was initially refused admission to Batumi Republican Hospital despite beds being available in both the emergency and intensive care departments.

He noted the incident occurred in early June, when the Emergency Medical Service contacted the hospital about admitting the woman, who had previously undergone surgery at the facility.

The minister said a hospital official, without providing a reason, refused to accept the patient. Sarjveladze said the hospital had available capacity at the time and that the woman was admitted only after he and several senior officials intervened.

“There were enough places at the hospital at that moment, both in the emergency and intensive care departments,” Sarjveladze said. “Only after I personally intervened, together with several senior officials, was it possible for the same institution, Batumi Republican Hospital, to admit the patient.”

Sarjveladze described the refusal as a violation requiring a legal response and rejected claims that the hospital lacked available beds.

The minister also said the head of the hospital’s emergency department had decided to leave his position after the incident became public. Sarjveladze claimed he had independently informed the ministry that he intended to resign at the end of September, before any such decision had been requested.