Conflict between staff of Iashvili hospital and the new owner
By Tatia Megeneishvili
Tuesday, September 3
Doctors at M. Iashvili Children's Central Hospital gathered in front of the Iashvili clinic on Monday protesting against Tekin Atik, the representative of the new owner of the hospital, Universal Hospital Group.
Doctors said that a drunken Atik abused employees of the hospital and broke appliances a few days ago, he insisted on taking down the icons in the chambers and serving patients with Muslim origins first.
The head of Iashvili hospital's Neuroscience Department, Nana Tatishvili, said that doctors demand from the government and in particular, the Minister of Labour, Healthcare and Social Protection, Davit Sergeenko, to preserve the sale’s first contract, according to which the former chairman of the Olympic Committee, Gia Natsvlishvili, had purchased the hospital. According to the doctors, the government must take a look at the agreement and ensure that Iashvili hospital would stay a referral hospital.
The doctors ask the law enforcement officers to immediately involve and study the legality of sale. The question is, whether Atik has paid $20 million to Natsvlishvili or not. “Definitely they must be interested in the property purchased by this man,” added Tatishvili.
Minister Sergeenko said the hospital was sold by owners a few days ago without informing any representative of government about this fact. "We are informed of the scandalous developments surrounding the Iashvili clinic for the last five days and the First Deputy Minister is at the place now. It does not matter whether the new owner of the clinic is Turkish or of any other nationality, because everyone is equal before the law," said Sergeenko.
The staff of Iashvili hospital later moved from the yard inside the building, where they were supposed to meet Atik, but he refused to meet with doctors and met with journalists instead. As Atik said to reporters, he was not drunk when he entered the intensive care unit of the hospital on August 31. Atik said that hospital staff just did not know the Turkish language and they misunderstood his loud speech.
According to Atik, on that day a seriously ill patient was brought to the hospital from Gori, whose family had a computer disc with the patient’s medical data recorded on it. However, this disc was not switched on and it was the reason of irritation.
Atik talked about icons too, he said that this decision was taken in Istanbul. He explained that instead of icons in every chamber, special chapels will be built on every floor. Atik showed his room to reporters where he had icons on walls. In addition, there is a statement posted in Iashvili hospital that from September 2, there will be free Turkish language courses.
At the very time when Atik was making the statement for reporters, Iashvili clinic staff entered his office and blamed him in spreading the false information. They declared mistrust to the Turkish investor and insist that the former director return to the job.
The Turkish-German Company Universal Hospital Group purchased 5 clinics from Avante Hospital Management Group. Those 5 clinics are the Iashvili Children's Central Hospital; Tsitsishvili Children’s New Clinic; Paediatrics, Allergology and Rheumatology Centre; Women's Health Centre New Life and the Maternal and Child Health Republican Centre. The new owner paid 20.5 million and is going to invest $25 million dollars in the clinics.
