It is well known to the public that the Public Defender’s Office has been talking about the rights of oncological patients and the shortcomings of relevant programmes in its reports for years.

Despite some evident progress in access to public health interventions and medical services, high morbidity from cancer remains a significant challenge, and timely diagnosis and treatment is necessary in this direction, which is associated with considerable costs.

Considering the above, the Public Defender of Georgia welcomes the decision made by the Government of Georgia, which will significantly expand the circle of persons for whom the State will finance surgical oncology, both elective and emergency surgeries. It is also welcome that with the mentioned decision, the treatment of oncological diseases will be equally accessible to all beneficiaries, regardless of their income, within the framework of the universal healthcare programme.