Residents of Gali District lose medical care in Georgia after border closure

Patients with chronic diseases from the Gali District of Abkhazia cannot get their scheduled treatment in Georgia after the border was closed due to the coronavirus threat. Locals also have difficulties with foodstuffs.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the Abkhazian-Georgian border was completely closed on March 14; only the employees of the Inguri HPP (Hydroelectric Power Plant) can cross it.

Residents of the Gali District suffering from chronic diseases cannot enter Georgia to receive their prescheduled treatment. "We have a lot of patients, especially with cardiovascular diseases. They need to undergo treatment once a month in Tbilisi or Zugdidi," Galina, a resident of the city of Gali, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Because of the closed border, "these people stay in the Gali District and cannot go anywhere," the woman has added.

The situation in the Gali District is really serious, Paata Zakareishvili, former State Minister for Integration and Civil Reconciliation, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "According to my information, there are a lot of patients there who need help," he said.

Residents of Gali also face an acute deficit of foodstuffs, Galina has added. "We are cut off from Abkhazia and Georgia. Gali townspeople can't buy food anywhere. Local shops and marketplaces aren't supplied with foodstuffs," she has explained.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 18, 2020 at 02:51 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.