The results of a study conducted at Caucasus University, titled “The Crisis of the Soviet Healthcare System: An Analysis of the Causes,” have been published in the international peer-reviewed journal Bulletin of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences.

The author of the paper is Tengiz Verulava, Professor at Caucasus University, Doctor of Medicine, and Director of the Institute for Health Policy. Article link.

Reference:

Verulava, T. (2025). Development of Social Health Insurance in Georgia. Bulletin of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 3, No. 3.

The journal Bulletin of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences is indexed in the international scientific database ERIH PLUS, confirming its academic credibility and international recognition.

Abstract

For seven decades, the Soviet healthcare system stood as one of the most ambitious and prominent institutions of Soviet society.

Public health was officially declared a cornerstone of national welfare and effective state functioning. Health was viewed as a fundamental human necessity and a right, making medicine a core public responsibility of the state.

The Soviet healthcare model served as a reference for many developing countries and socialist states. Its centralized, state-run structure achieved notable success in combating infectious diseases and epidemics and ensured universal access to basic medical services, immunization, and maternal and child healthcare. However, over time, excessive centralization became a barrier to medical progress.

The absence of economic incentives and extensive state intervention led to deep bureaucratization of the system. Instead of prioritizing patient needs and healthcare outcomes, policy focused on artificial expansion of the healthcare network. Despite outdated and deteriorating technological and material infrastructure, public funding was directed toward constructing new facilities rather than maintaining or modernizing existing ones.

In Georgia, the system of higher medical education failed to meet modern international standards and growing sectoral demands. Structural shortcomings in professional training resulted in an oversupply of physicians with comparatively low qualifications. Although Georgia recorded one of the highest physician-to-population ratios globally, this reflected extensive growth rather than quality-based development. Low remuneration for healthcare professionals further reduced incentives to provide high-quality medical services.

Institute for Health Policy.