During an interpellation hearing regarding children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Georgian Minister of Health Mikheil Sarjveladze stated that the ministry’s “door has never been closed” to parents and remains open.
He emphasized that the agency will continue its ongoing work on these issues and expressed hope that a comprehensive, truly accessible, and safe medication will soon emerge.
“As soon as such reliable information becomes available, the ministry will not hesitate to make a decision. If European states find answers to these questions—and believe me, they are also well aware of these issues, they are also concerned, and they do not treat cost as the primary factor—this wave will spread across Europe, and Georgia, among others, will be able to make this decision.
Of course, those who think I do not understand when you see an article online by a funded doctor praising a particular drug, or hear praise from some organization, are mistaken.
But it is crucial here to distinguish the truth and make decisions that are both correct and fair,” the Georgian government representative emphasized.
Sarjveladze stated that if anyone has objective and sincere questions and a desire for a genuine study of the issue of medications for children with Duchenne disease in Georgia, rather than what he described as “emotional manipulation,” he is ready to meet at the ministry and personally provide answers to any questions.
“The study process will certainly continue. As soon as there is a sufficient basis and foundation for a decision, naturally, no one will delay it. It is very important to me, and it would be beneficial, for the work to be conducted with the participation of all parents. For them, the ministry’s door has never been closed, and it will be open now.
This door will always be open.
However, even before they arrive at this door, the ministry will continue its continuous work on these issues. There are many people in the ministry who are personally involved in organizing and studying these matters,” Sarjveladze stated.
