Health and medicine
Universal Healthcare Programme: what it covers and for whom: what to do under Georgian law
Who is entitled to the Universal Healthcare Programme and who is excluded, which services are covered, and how co-payments depend on category.
What to do
- Eligibility: the right belongs to citizens and stateless persons with status (Law of Georgia on Healthcare, Art. 5). The “minimum package” has exclusions: persons with private insurance are excluded (Universal Healthcare Programme Rules, as amended 07.2026, Art. 1); and persons insured at the State’s expense (except for certain services) (Universal Healthcare Programme Rules, as amended 07.2026, Art. 1); if annual income is 40,000 GEL or more, the main packages are unavailable, except at pensionable age (Universal Healthcare Programme Rules, as amended 07.2026, Art. 1); such persons keep access to oncology: chemotherapy, hormone therapy, radiotherapy and oncological surgery (Universal Healthcare Programme Rules, as amended 12.2023, Art. 1); income is determined from Revenue Service data (Universal Healthcare Programme Rules, as amended 09.2026, Art. 1).
- The category determines the scope and the co-payment: preferential categories (including pensionable age) are covered by a separate package (Universal Healthcare Programme Rules, as amended 12.2023, Art. 1).
- Outpatient care: planned outpatient care is available only through a family doctor (Universal Healthcare Programme Rules, outpatient care, Art. 2); narrow specialists on a family doctor’s referral: 30% co-payment (Universal Healthcare Programme Rules, outpatient care, Art. 2); basic tests: no co-payment (Universal Healthcare Programme Rules, outpatient care, Art. 2); ECG: no co-payment (Universal Healthcare Programme Rules, outpatient care, Art. 2).
- Oncology: chemotherapy, hormone therapy and radiotherapy (Universal Healthcare Programme Rules, as amended 04.2024, Art. 1); oncology drugs: no co-payment (Universal Healthcare Programme Rules, as amended 04.2024, Art. 1).
- Inpatient care, surgery and childbirth: co-payment depends on the component and the category; check the current edition and ask the clinic: the clinic must display what is covered (Order on the content and format of information, Art. 2); an additional payment (e.g. for a chosen ward) is permitted only on the terms of the order (Order on the ward-choice mechanism, Art. 1).
- Where to apply: family doctor; the provider clinic; the programme’s implementing agency under the Ministry of Health.
- Documents to prepare: identity document; information on annual income; insurance policy; family doctor’s referral.
- Pitfalls: assuming the programme pays for everything in full; going to a specialist without a family doctor’s referral; quoting inpatient co-payment percentages from memory, as they often change.
Be sure to check
- who receives the programme and who is excluded (private and State insurance; annual income of 40,000 GEL or more according to Revenue Service data, except persons of pensionable age; oncological treatment and oncological surgery remain available)
- planned outpatient care through a family doctor; specialists with 30% co-payment; basic tests and ECG free of charge
- categories (general, preferential, veterans) determine the package and the co-payment
- oncology (chemotherapy, hormone therapy, radiotherapy) and oncology drugs without co-payment