Maxim Rakovenko, an IT specialist from Tbilisi, Georgia, was only 35 years old when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a rare type of blood cancer. Just a generation ago, this would have been a death sentence in his country, which battled high rates of mortality after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Health care was inadequate because the market was highly fragmented, and doctors and nurses were insufficiently trained.
To rebuild its health-care infrastructure, the Georgian government privatized service delivery and introduced a basic universal health coverage (UHC) program in 2013. The private sector is now a key, collaborative partner with the government in the provision of services.
That gave Rakovenko the opportunity to be seen at an EVEX Polyclinic located in his neighborhood. The polyclinic provides a diverse range of services, with state-of-the-art medical equipment under the same roof. He started chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment at a hospital that opened in March 2018. Half of the treatment cost was financed by Georgia’s UHC program. “The timely treatment conducted by a team of qualified doctors, coupled with the caring attitude of the hospital staff, helped me to recover,” says Rakovenko.
IFC helped, too—with a $25 million investment in EVEX’s parent company, the Georgia Healthcare Group (GHG). IFC supported the renovation of two hospitals acquired by GHG, expansion of outpatient services (like the polyclinic where Rakovenko had his first ultrasound), and introduction of new specialized services including pediatrics, cardiology, and oncology—some of which did not previously exist in Georgia.
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