Georgia Healthcare Group PLC Annual Report 2018 Strategic Report New services Investing in elective care services Improving medical services quality and filling existing service gaps in the country, thereby preventing Georgian patients from seeking treatment abroad as well as attracting foreign patients. Over the past few years, GHG has relentlessly worked to increase We are fully focused on and continuously engaged in the process of the overall quality of medical care and develop new services to close rolling out new services at our referral hospitals to close the remaining existing service gaps in the country and, in doing so, fulfilling its gaps and strengthen our position in elective care services throughout mission to provide Georgian citizens with access to high-quality the country. treatment without leaving the country. There have been some underdeveloped medical services for which Georgian patients have In the past three years, we developed more than 120 new services had to travel abroad, with the annual tourism outflow exceeding in our hospitals – both basic, such as ophthalmology, cardiology US$100 million annually. While much remains to be done, GHG and others, and sophisticated, such as liver and bone marrow has elevated the standard of medical care in the country through transplantation. This will remain our top priority in the coming years. continuous investment in high-technology equipment and strengthening local capabilities. Cardiology Reduced incidence of death from heart failure and increased life expectancy in the country are the positive trends, we believe, our healthcare business has contributed to greatly through introduction and implementation of cardiovascular services. In recent years, we developed a number of cardiovascular intervention services and cardiac surgeries throughout the country. According to the National Centre for Disease Control and Public Health, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in Georgia (69% of total deaths are associated with cardiovascular diseases), with c.533 deaths per 100,000 people in 2017 down from c.645 a decade ago. Although the number remains high, the main drivers behind the recent positive trend include a decline in the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, such as uncontrolled hypertension through improved healthcare services, medications and quality care. The Group’s investment in the new infrastructure, latest technology and quality have resulted in a successful expansion of cardiovascular service delivery to communities, where access to convenient, quality care was difficult or non-existent. The Group has spent around GEL 5.0 million to equip our healthcare facilities in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi, Zugdidi and Khashuri (Khashuri Referral Hospital serves the population of Akhaltsikhe and Akhalkalaki) with the most up-to-date cardiac catheterisation laboratories, allowing us to conduct timely stenting for ischaemic heart disease significantly reducing the risks of disability and sudden death. The cardiac departments in our newly-launched hospitals, the Regional Hospital and Tbilisi Referral Hospital, as well as in Kutaisi Regional Referral Hospital, furnished with the state-of-the-art cardiac equipment, are managed by the country’s leading specialists, Georgian expat doctors. The team of qualified doctors, who have received medical training and working experience abroad, perform all kinds of cardiac services and, along with traditional medicine, offer ultra-modern approaches, including sophisticated invasive cardiac procedures. The department of mini-invasive and high-tech development focuses on complicated cases and cardiac anomalies, enabling local population to receive quality cardio services without leaving the country. 18