TBILISI, Georgia - During Georgia's inhospitable winters, the staff and patients at the Akhaltsikhe, Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda district hospitals need more than just medicine - they need warm coats since neither hospital has heat.
"Doctors and patients shouldn't have to wear coats during treatment and examination," said Davit Maisuradze, Akhaltsikhe District Hospital manager.
And the lack of heat affects more than just staff and patients. Although most U.S. hospitals stopped using glass intravenous bottles decades ago, hospitals in Georgia still use them, and when temperatures drop, IV solutions freeze. Even more, surgeries were postponed on harsher winter days, according to Maisuradze.
With 47 villages and nearly 100,000 people to serve, Maisuradze and the other hospital managers made requests to various U.S. and Georgian agencies to fund the much-needed improvement projects, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, an agency designed to provide U.S. economic and humanitarian assistance around the world, which agreed to provide funding.
In partnership with USAID, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District is managing nearly $1.6 million in renovations to provide heat to the hospitals, including reception areas, the maternity ward and X-ray rooms. Adding heat will not only comfort the staff and patients, it also means treatment can be administered without delays.
According to Charles Samuel, the Europe District Caucasus Project Office's supervisory project engineer, there is a lot of work that needs to be done on the hospital.
"The need is great," said Samuel. "There are some areas where you can see the sky through the roof."
Additionally, the project incorporates renovations to the Akhaltsikhe district's hospital infectious disease center, including repairing walls and ceiling, replacing flooring, installing new doors and windows, and renovating restrooms.
"This is the only infectious disease center in this region," said Maisuradze. "And the local government doesn't have the resources to fix all of the issues the center has."
Originally, funding restrictions limited the amount of repairs each hospital could receive and those needs had to be prioritized, Samuel said.
"We could have never put in a heating system on our own," said Maisuradze. "The local government doesn't have the resources to fix all of the hospital's issues."
Another item needing immediate attention is the landscaping. The area around the hospital is mostly dirt and gravel, and the road leading to the property is unpaved, full of bumps and potholes. When it rains, the area becomes difficult to traverse.
"When it rains it [the grounds] gets very muddy and sometimes floods," said Maisuradze. "With all of the mud and water, a patient will look at the outside and worry about the treatment they will receive inside. We have very qualified doctors at this hospital. The problem is the working environment."
The project will repave the access road, add proper landscaping to eliminate the mud and install drainage to prevent flooding.
The other regional hospitals are funded for renovations similar to Akhaltsikhe.
Ninotsminda Hospital is located in the southern district of Samtskhe-Javakheti will serve its population of more than 34,000 people. Renovations there include installing a heating system, new windows and replacing the roof.
Akhalkalaki Hospital, which serves the surrounding population of nearly 61,000 people, will receive similar renovations in addition to a new generator.
"Projects like these are more people orientated," said Samuel. "They're about helping people and their communities and that's what makes working on these jobs satisfying for me."
Additionally, USAID recognized the scope of these projects and recently allocated another $1.1 million to fund further renovations.
"Although we do not have sufficient resources to make these renovations ourselves," said Maisuradze. "We do have the resources to maintain the buildings properly. We will proudly take care of this gift from the American people."
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