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Georgian Disabled Stripped of Benefits
[02:10 pm] 02 June, 2007

Reforms leave ten thousand in poverty, say campaigners `Giorgi was
ready to give his life for his homeland, but the government has even
taken away his pension,’ said Mzia, the mother of 40-year-old Giorgi
Vashadze.

In May, Vashadze, who fought in the wars in Abkhazia and South Ossetia
of the early Nineties, was stripped of the `category two’ disabled
status he was awarded in 1999 because of a long list of ailments
including gunshot wounds, concussion, bouts of depression, repeated
cardiac seizures and cranial problems.

As a war veteran, he received a monthly benefit of 70 laris (around 40
US dollars) until it was cancelled on May 1.

`My son has an unemployed wife and three young children,’ said
Mzia. `He is unable to work, as he permanently needs to take strong
painkillers.’

According to Georgia’s statistics department, just over 231,000 people
were registered as disabled last year. Only those in the more serious
first and second categories are entitled to the standard allowance of
38 laris (22 dollars) a month.

The new reform, instituted on May 1, is targeting people who are
believed to be claiming category two status fraudulently.

In January, the ministry of health abolished the expert panels that
were hitherto responsible for assigning disabled status, and entrusted
the decisions to ordinary doctors instead.

A new state agency for regulating medical activity is being set up to
monitor the doctors who will now take the decisions, and both
hospitals and doctors now face severe fines if they are found to be
abusing their authority.

The ministry said the old system was blighted by corruption. `In 2006,
we traced down 9,313 violations in which category two invalidity
status was awarded following illegal, corrupt deals,’ said deputy
minister of labour, healthcare and social security David
Meskhishvili..

One of the men spearheading the changes, Devi Tabidze, who heads the
department of labour and social welfare in the Georgian health
ministry, told IWPR the system was badly in need of reform.

`I’ve had my gall-bladder taken out, but I don’t look like an invalid,
do I?’ said Tabidze. `But people like me get themselves qualified as
category two invalids. In 2005 and 2006, this irresponsible behaviour
cost the budget 15 million laris [nine million dollars].’

`The reform has not affected those with permanent invalidity status,’
insisted Tabidze. `Under the new rules, 20 conditions are no longer
classified as disabling. That means over 10,000 people will lose their
benefits.’

He said that from now on, not only the medical diagnosis but also the
patient’s ability to work would be assessed to determine eligibility
for disability status.

Many Georgians say the changes are pushing them into penury.

Tamara Sulaberidze, 34, who has a slight mental disability and will
never be able to work, has been stripped of her category two status
and the 38-lari allowance that goes with it.

None of the six Sulaberidze family members works, and they are already
in great financial difficulty. Now they are worried about where they
will find the money to buy the medicines Tamara needs.

`How can she work if she can’t move around on her own?’ asked Tamara’s
sister, Maya. `She is often aggressive and responds to situations
badly.’

Maya says she does not believe that health minister Lado Chipiashvili
knows about the impact the reforms are having.

`I want to get the minister’s email address and tell him about the
trouble people are in after they’ve been stripped of their pensions,’
she said.

Tamara’s case also troubles Giorgi Geleishvili, head of Tbilisi’s
psycho-neurological clinic. He said her situation alone was sufficient
reason to review the change in criteria.

`People suffering from mild mental retardation with pathological
behaviour won’t ever be able to work, as they will immediately get
into conflict with someone,’ he said. `We paid them the benefits to
keep them from starving to death or stealing.’

Nato Khonelidze, director of the non-governmental organisation
Antistigma agreed, saying the health ministry’s recommendations were
far too vague.

`The decisions were taken under emergency conditions,’ she
said. `These instructions should be made more transparent to avoid
making mistakes when determining disability status.’

The new rules also impose stricter rules on people whose conditions do
qualify for a disability allowance. For instance, they will now have
to pay between 70 and 100 laris for a medical examination to determine
their eligibility. The test used to be free.

Anna Kopaliani, who is epileptic, has been told she will only receive
disability status if her fits are diagnosed as frequent. This will
require her to make regular trips to hospital and pay for tests that
she cannot afford.

`I will have to forego the benefit, as each night spent in hospital
has to be paid for and an encephalogram costs 35 laris. That is one
month’s allowance,’ said Kopaliani.

The abolition of the panels of experts has also drawn criticism. `Many
countries carry out medical examinations to determine disability
status, but it is always licensed experts, not inexperienced doctors,
who do this,’ complained Nato Khonelidze.

IWPR asked Tabidze whether the government plans to help people
deprived of disability status to find jobs. He said that an employment
project was being devised jointly with the business sector, adding,
`But this is a problem for the future, and it’s too early to talk
about it right now.’

Georgia’s business sector does not currently provide the special
facilities needed if disabled people are to be employed.

By Fati Mamiashvili in Tbilisi (CRS No. 394 31-May-07)

Fati Mamiashvili is a freelance journalist and IWPR contributor in
Tbilisi

Institute for War and Peace Reporting’s Caucasus Reporting Service

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress