High Rates Expensive Treatment For hepatitis C

my story which was published 2010 in"BrossestreetJournal"

Hepatitis c diagnosis and a 48-week treatment course costs approximately 10,000 eoros in Georgia.neither the state nor private insurance companies cover any treatment,leaving patients to choose between living and bankruptcy.

A meeting titled"improving Access to hepatitis C Treatment in Georgia" gathered Georgian and International experts and patient advocates to discuss how to overcome the main barriers to accessibility to treatment and diagnostics.

The World health Organization estimates there are 170 million people infected with hepatitis c virus in the world, which accounts for 3% of the global population.In Georgia this figure is as high as 6.75,according to representative results of a general population study conducted by the AIDS centre and BTEP, the US Department of Health and Human Service's Biotechnology Engagement Programme(2009)

It's even higher among certain risk groups:injecting drug users up to 70%,TB patients-12%, HIV-positive people-almost 50%.

Hepatitis C is an infections disease affecting the liver, caused by the hepatitis C virus(HCV)the infection is often asymptomatic.(www.emedicinehealth.com/hepatitis_c/pages3_em.htm) Some people describe the symptoms as being flu-like.The symptoms may last a few weeks or month. nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, fatigue pain over the liver (on the right side of the abdomen,just under the rib cage) Jaundice - a condition in which the skin and the whites of the eyes turn yellow, dark coloured urine (may look like cola or tea) stools become pale in co lour(greysh or clay coloured) prolonged nausea and vomiting repeatedly,you may notice the following symptoms: fatigue or weakness, confusion or difficulty concentrating headache, problems urinating, irritability.

"hepatitis C is more infectious than HIV; there is no preventive vaccine against it. Therefore access to diagnostics and treatment is of particularly high importance around the world and in Georgia" says Infectious diseases specialist Mariam Svanidze.

"The average cost of necessary investigations for selection of treatment regimen and it's management is 1,600gel (670 euros) 'hepatitis C treatment costs through a combination f Interferon and ribavirin amounts 4,500 euro (for a 24-week treatment) or 9,ooo euros (for 48 week treatment course) which is more powerful treatment"says Fati Gabunia head of the Infectious Pathology, AIDS and Clinical Immunology Centre.

"I've had C hepatitis for 10 years; I call it the unheard of disease.Not only medicines,I pay 2,000gel only for the analysis. It's expensive ," says seminar participant Koka Labartqava, a representative from the New vector NGO.

In Georgia, like in the whole world, two PEG- Interferons can cure hepatitis C: Pegasys of Swiss Hoffmann-La Roche and Peginteron of the USA's Schering-Plough. Pegasys is imported by the Custom Stock of Medicines, and Medicine Pegintron, is imported by PSP company. Both companies have certain offers for patients and Ribavirin is provided free of charge. The purchase of these drugs is possible with a Doctor's prescription at certain pharmacies.

The arrival of other drug companies in the market will increase competitiveness. "In Lithuania, there is a state programme helping people with this disease. I 'm really amazed how Georgian citizens pay that much money from their pocket," said seminar participant Raminta stuikyte, a consultant at New York public health programme.

"Selected prisoners receive tretment paid for by the state (Ministry of Justice Budget). On the average 10-18 prisoners have received tratment each year, starting from 2008" says Gabunia, head of the Infectious Pathology, AIDS and Clinical Immunology Centre.

According to information from pharmaceutical companies, in 2009 about 320 persons underwent hepatitis C treatment in Georgia. In the vast Majority of cases patients covered treatment costs themselves. It's impossible to tell how many persons needed tretment in 2009. In the AIDS laboratory alone 548 examinations were conducted in 2009.

"The state and insurance companies can't afford to offer access to HCV treatment given the costs. we want to create a national funded programme to negotiate treatment prices. We are calling on the government to finance this programme. Also in the near feature we plan to meet the health minister,"says keteven Khutsishvili, Open Society-Georgia foundation executive.

Podium is everywhere

Models need make up to emphasize clothes Character, everything is hand of designers. Anywty if you want or not become model, Designers admit that there aren’t exist ugly

women,only exist neglected woman in the world , so podium is everywhere, if you want to be

B e a u t i f u l !

Pack of Beauty

Standarts are still the same. Measure at fullest part of Bust-90. Waist measurement 60, and measure around fullest

part of Hips 90. Under 53 KG. Every time models need to control their weight but Models career aren’t always

defend on their weight,height and Beauty L Typical Beauty is what designers are looking for in Models. Now see my experiment how I pack one model's Beauty.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB1k5wDfLS0

Georgian Models Agency

if you want to become Models - you can go Georgian Models Agency from 12 to 30. until you are blooming

as a woman.you must learn make-up,aerobics and Fashion History example, who killed Versache? After one years Models Take a Diploma. Now Glimps in

Geo Models Agency''Maximum"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTvZbL3we5s

Gypsies want to change their life

16 years old Bela doesn't remember her second name. She is a Gypsies.” I don't know from where my family comes. I know nothing about my ancestors and grandparents, I was born in Georgia”says Bela. At first she lived in Batumi and then came here with her parents and siblings.

 

Bela lives in the suburb of Tbilisi  –Africa.In a little hut with her siblings and relatives. The family is quite big and the oldest member is 33 years old woman with 10 children. Who doesn't want to talk with us. “My mother and father aren't at home now. My brother is invalid and they took him for medical healing. We have been collecting money for this for a long time.” says she.

There are two groups of Gypsies in Georgia, one is from Moldavia and second groups don’t remember from where they are. Majority from the second group are beggar.” I want to work somewhere for example at the shop but I have even never applied for such vacancy yet.” says Bela. She can read and write a little by Georgia. Wants to continue learning but she is sure that no one takes her at the job. Some people don't trust the Gypsies. But as Bela says 

With their Georgian neighbors there nothing can complain. She tries to be polite to them as well.

 Gypsies Girls get married at the age from 16. But Bela doesn't want to get married yet. Her mother and father were cousins to each other so such marriages are quite common for them. When someone is giving birth a baby partially she is treated here and partially at the hospital. Some of Gypsies doesn't have an ID card. But nowadays they don't have a leader, as it was early. They belong none of the religions. However during speech she mentions word god for several times.

11 years old Vakho Who is cosine of Bela doesn't remember his surname. He also bags in the street, speaks by Georgian and Russian languages.”  I don't want to be bagger all my life. I want to have a woman when I grow up. I like Georgian girls as well.”Says  Vakho.  

The Most members from group of Gypsies from Moldavia  live in Tbilisi Suburb – Lotkini. They aren’t so poor as second group of Gypsies. 60 year old Tamara Cheremushina “we are Gipsy but now we know that we are from Moldavia, we leave there, we have ID, and all what citizens need!” says Tamara. She never forgets the help of Georgian man who worked in electro Energy Company and gives a right of having a light, during a month. In this time her daughter died and she didn’t have an effort to pay the bill. Tamara is a very pleased from government help. They have a gas and light during the 24 hour, as an aged and invalid person she gives a pension. Also they paved a new road “you don't reach there two month ago because there was frogs every way in the street” says she. Most part of Moldavien Gypsies are tradesman.

If you want to know about Gypsies traditions you must go their wedding, witch continues three days. At the first day they have religious wedding ceremony In a Christian Orthodox Church. . Second day they have a carouse, the guests checks a linen, which is a sign that the bride was a maid. In a third day they have also carouse.21 years old Georgian Nona Chalabadze doesn't has a problem herself to get married with Gypsies. ”At the first time my Mother was against our marriage but now my family mad about my husband” says Nona. Nowadays Gypsies   invites Georgian neighbors in a weeding day.” Early they don't go our wedding but now yes. I have many Georgian friends and when they get married I also go” says 20 years old Eva lupashko. Who already has two years old daughter. Eva has a secondary education in a Tbilisi School, but she was studying in a Russian sector here.” In the past most part of our ancestors were studying there by Russia, but now me and may say all of my generation  want to our children studying by Georgian language, and give a high education “say Eva.

 

 

ძველი და ახალი თაობა 30 მაისის არჩევნებზე

საქართველოს კონსტიტუციის 28-ე მუხლის მიხედვით არჩევნებსა და რეფერენდუმში მონაწილეობის მიღების უფლება აქვს ყველა მოქალაქეს 18 წლის ასაკიდან. 1991 წელს, დამოუკიდებელ საქართველოში დაბადებული ახალგაზრდები წლევანდელ ადგილობრივი თვითმმართველობის არჩევნებში პირველად იღებენ მონაწილეობას. ასეთი საქართველოში 89 091 ადამიანია.

მთაწმინის რაიონის ნომერ 10 საარჩევნო უბნის რეგისტრატორი ეკა კამკამიძე აღნიშნავს რომ დღის განმავლობაში ზოგადად აქტიურობა ახალგაზრდებში საკმაოდ მაღალი იყო:

”ძალიან ბევრი ახალგაზრდაა ჩართული.აქტიურობენ რომ არჩევნებში მიიღონ მონაწილეობა მე თვითონაც ახალგაზრდა ვარ და მიკვირს ასეთი აქტივობა”.

თორნიკე ნიკვაშილი მათ შორისაა, ვინც 30 მაისს პირველად დააფიქსირა საკუთარი არჩევანი. თორნიკე თვლის, რომ როგორც დემოკრატიული სახელმწიფოს მოქალაქეს, მის ხმას დიდი მნიშვნელობა აქვს:

“ეს არის ჩემი პირველი არჩევნები და ვიხდი ჩემ მოქალაქეობრივ ვალს. იმედი მაქვს ჩემი ხმით რაღაც შეემატება ამ ქვეყანას და უკეთესობისაკენ წავა ჩემი ქვეყნის ბედი. ჩემი მეგობრებიდან ყველა მიდის არჩევნებზე, ყველას აქვს იმის განცდა რომ თავის წვლილს შეიტანს ქვეყნის განვითარებაში”.

ანი რუსიშვილი 18 წლისაა. ისიც პირველად მივიდა საარჩევნო უბანზე. არჩევნებზე წასულიყო თუ არა ამაზე ბევრი არ უფიქრია:


”პირველი არჩევნებია ჩემთვის და რავიცი კმაყოფილი ვარ, ჩემი აზრით აუცილებელია და ნებისმიერმა მოქალაქემ უნდა გამოიყენოს საარჩევნო უფლება და არ უნდა დაკარგოს”.

მურთაზ ლიპარტელიანი 77 წლის პენსიონერია. მანაც დააფიქსირა საკუთარ არჩევანი დილით ადრე და შემდეგ გარედან, ახლო მდებარე ბაღში ადევნებდა თვალს საკუთარ საარჩევნო უბანში მიმომსვლელებს.
ამბობს რომ ადრე ყველაფერი სხვანაირად იყო:

”გეტყოდნენ აი კაი კაცია, მიდიოდი და აძლევდი ხმას. საარჩევნო უბნებზე ზეიმი იყო, ქეიფი და დროს ტარება. ხალისი იყო თავიდან ბოლომდე”.


ელისაბედ დოკვაძე 68 წლისაა. 1991 წლის დამოუკიდებლობამდე მასაც არაერხელ მოუწია ხმა მიეცა მისთვის სრულიად უცნობი კანდიდატისთვის, ფაქტიურად არჩევანის გარეშე:

”კომუნისტების დროს ნამდვილად არც ვიცოდით ვის ვირჩევდით. მივდიოდით და ხმას ვაძლევდით ვისაც გვეტყოდნენ. ვუსურვებ ახალგაზრდებს ყოველთვის სამართლიან გარემოში ეცხოვროთ და სამართლიან არჩევნებში მიეღოთ მონაწილეობა”.

ის თუ როგორი არჩევანი გააკეთეს 30 მაისს ძველი და ახალი თაობის წარმომადგენლებმა, მომავალი კვირის ბოლომდე გახდება ცნობილი.

შორენა კოპალეიშვილი

სოფო დათიშვილი

ნინო ანანიაშვილი

MY PROFILE by LALA KAZAKOVA

Shorena Kopaleishvili, 27, is single. She has father, mother and sister. Her sister Irina got married when she was 19 years old and, now she has one daughter, Mariami, 5 years old.

Unlike her sister Kopaleishvili doesn't want to get married yet. Now she prefers to make career rather than a marriage, primarily because Kopaleishvili thinks she hasn't found her place on career ladder yet. “It is the main reason that I don't married," says Shorena. Also, until now, she hasn't yet met a boy of her dreams.

Shorena likes educated, pragmatic and attractive man – and he must be Georgian: “I will marry only a Georgian man. Because I am nationalist and I can’t imagine my children’s father as a foreigner.”

Although Kopaleishvili is nationalist, she isn’t interest in politics. She follows art news. And after graduating Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA) she wants to work as a TV reporter who covers art and culture: “I think that artists are very interesting, they live absolutely different universe”-says Shorena.

Shorena imagines that a journalist is the first who can know what is happening around the world. That’s why she decided to be a journalist 12 years ago. In 1998 she entered to the Georgian State Institute, faculty of journalism. She has worked as a journalist at the Information agency -www.medianews.ge for 2 years.

Now she gets a master degree at the GIPA, faculty of journalism and media management. “I am curious person and journalism gives me chance to know everything around the world”-says Shorena.