Ombudsman Medical Council Visits Mikheil Saakashvili in Vivamed Clinic
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, April 3, 2023
The third president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili who is serving a prison sentence and is undergoing treatment at the Vivamed clinic was visited by the medical council of the Ombudsman.
The doctor, neurologist Tengiz Tsuladze, a member of the Council, told reporters that Saakashvili's condition is serious, he has lost weight, standing up and moving carries the risk of falling, and being completely laid down is also dangerous for him.
"He has lost a lot of weight, he weighs 63 kilograms. The state of cachexia and weakness was even more pronounced. His condition is serious, he needs serious interventions to save his life. You can no longer say when and how fast the patient will get sick. It is very difficult to predict," Tsuladze said.
According to Tengiz Tsuladze, the 'Vivamed' clinic is also of the opinion that Saakashvili's treatment should not continue there, although the difference is that they demand to transfer Saakashvili to another Georgian clinic, while Tsuladze himself thinks that the ex-president should be treated abroad.
Anesthesiologist-reanimatologist Giorgi Grigolia said that it is better to continue Mikheil Saakashvili's treatment where he will be free from the stress of imprisonment.
"As a result of 10 months of treatment, today Saakashvili's condition is much worse than [last] May when he entered this clinic," he said.
The representative of the Public Defender's office, Gvantsa Chkhaidze, said that the doctors would reconcile their positions and prepare a general conclusion.
Regarding the position of 'Vivamed', the clinical director, Zurab Chkhaidze, stated that there was no difference of opinion between the doctors regarding the treatment scheme of Saakashvili and the assessment of his condition. According to Chkhaidze, there is no special change in Mikheil Saakashvili's condition.
"There were no special changes. Neither neurological nor other physiological indicators were changed. There is a temperature reaction periodically. Family members say something different about weight, the reality is different, and talking about this weight is very tiring and boring," stated Chkhaidze.
