Access to Ambulatory Medicines for the Elderly in Georgia

Abstract

Pensioners in Republic of Georgia are covered by the Universal Healthcare Program. In addition, socially vulnerable chronic patients additionally benefit from the Program for Providing Medicine for the Chronic Diseases (PPMCD). The research aims to assess the financial accessibility to outpatient medicines for the elderly in Georgia. Totally, 700 pensioners were surveyed within the quantitative research. The study showed that PPMCD (launched in 2017) has facilitated the affordability of medicines for elderly, especially the socially vulnerable chronic patients. However, the out-of-pocket spending on medicine is still high for most respondents. The main problem for the family is the high unaffordable price (26%). Nearly a third of respondents (31%) could not fully purchase all the outpatient medicine prescribed by the doctor, and 15% could not purchase them at all due to the high costs. Most of the respondents (57%) buy outpatient medicine without visiting family doctor and 37% self-medicate. This shows the irrational choice of elderly people during their health problems. In this regard, the pharmacy and self-treatment play an important role in the informal network of medical service. A significant part of the respondents (36%) does not know about PPMDC. The low level of awareness of the PPMCD among pensioners increases the risk of impoverishment. It is necessary to increase pensioners’ awareness about PPMCD. It is recommended to include not only socially vulnerable people in the PPMDC, but also chronic patients of pension age, because the expenses may often be catastrophic for them.