Penitentiary Service refutes allegations of inadequate medical care for Saakashvili

Prison doctors are regularly examining Mikheil (Mikhail) Saakashvili, the third president of Georgia; he is provided with good nutrition and medicines, the country's Special Penitentiary Service has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Saakashvili was diagnosed with anorexia, intolerance to a number of foodstuffs and a decrease in muscle mass amid his post-stress depression, as the doctors monitoring his health reported on April 27. The next day, 16 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) turned to Georgian authorities demanding to provide Saakashvili with the necessary medical care.

On February 21, Mikhail Saakashvili announced a new endless hunger strike demanding the proper medical treatment. On March 10, Saakashvili suspended his hunger strike because of the situation in Ukraine. On March 13, he said that doctors from a civilian clinic in Tbilisi had examined him and confirmed his serious illnesses.

The medical department of the Special Penitentiary Service is constantly monitoring Saakashvili's health condition, and, if necessary, takes all the measures stipulated by the medical protocol, says the Service's statement released on April 29. Saakashvili has been repeatedly examined and given the appropriate treatment, the statement says.

"Any statement that Mikhail Saakashvili is deprived of adequate treatment is a lie and a deliberate attempt to mislead the public. The Penitentiary Service is fully providing Saakashvili with all the medicines corresponding to his state of health. However, by his own decision, he refuses to take a certain part of the medicines prescribed to him," the statement says.

Saakashvili is provided with three meals a day; he can also buy foodstuffs at a special store located in the prison territory, and he regularly receives food parcels, the Service has concluded.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 30, 2022 at 02:25 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.