Advocating for the Right to Healthcare
Eighteen years ago, Mtvarisa Sakheishvili, a doctor from Abkhazia, fled her home in Sokhumi in what remains an occupied territory of the Georgian state. She came to Kutaisi and began working as a medical specialist. Soon, however, she found herself unemployed; but rather than despair, she saw an opportunity to devote her skills and enthusiasm to civic activism. By 2000, Mtvarisa and a team of other physicians who had fled their homes in Abkhazia had founded the NGO Medical Sector of Abkhazia to focus on issues affecting internally displaced persons (IDPs), especially healthcare. In 2009, the organization was reregistered as the Medical Workers Initiative.
In 2009, with support from USAID, Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF) funded the Medical Workers Initiative to implement a project to improve IDPs’ access to quality medical services in the Imereti region. As an IDP herself, Mtvarisa had an acute understanding of the issues faced by IDPs in acquiring state assistance. Limited public awareness of patients’ rights was hampering access to quality medical services, especially vulnerable groups like IDPs and refugees. In partnership with the NGO Argus, Medical Workers Initiative began monitoring the implementation of the state-funded medical programs and medical services for 310 IDPs in the IDP collective center in Kutaisi.
In order to increase the impact of this monitoring, the project team collaborated with local newspaper, radio, and television outlets. In addition, Mtvarisa brought together representatives of outpatient clinics, the local authorities, insurance companies, and civic organizations in Kutaisi to discuss the quality of medical services for IDPs. This inclusive approach, coupled with the media attention, encouraged a prompt response from the authorities and led to three instances of improved service delivery to IDP patients. Despite these successes, it was clear that the group’s level of knowledge and experience was not enough to achieve the desired results.
To improve the effectiveness of her work, Mtvarisa decided to participate in EPF’s training of trainers in participatory monitoring and advocacy. After the training, Mtvarisa returned to her community and provided additional training to her colleagues. Now, the IDPs involved in monitoring are able to oversee various medical institutions, request public information, and effectively interact with officials and other counterparts. In two cases, the group persuaded the local medical authorities and insurance companies to provide IDP patients with services that they were legally entitled to, but had not been receiving.
The Medical Workers Initiative’s activities have become known beyond Kutaisi. Having heard about Mtvarisa’s work, IDP physicians in Tsqaltubo requested that the Medical Workers Initiative monitor the work of their local IDP outpatient clinic. The investigation found that the director of the clinic was embezzling funds. The Medical Workers Initiative and other NGOs appealed to the Ministry of Healthcare of the Abkhaz Government in Exile and the local healthcare and social security department. Based upon this information, the director of the Tsqaltubo clinic was fired. Mtvarisa and her team are continuing to empower the targeted IDP communities through consultations, education, and issue-based advocacy work.
Grant Competition: Open Door
The winners of the grant 2010 Grant Competition
Job Opening: Program Manager for Project Strengthening the Media’s Role as a Watchdog Institution
Job Opening: Associate Country Director
