Mikheil Saakashvili addressed the population gathered at the Martvili Medical Center
I would like to thank you for coming to the opening of this hospital and meeting me.
I came here from Nokalakevi where we have opened one of the most beautiful schools so far.
Certainly, I know that there are still many schools that need to be refurbished, renovated and rebuilt; I also know that we do not have good hospitals everywhere. It is also important that many good hospitals are not yet affordable for everyone.
However, recall what our country looked like couple of years ago and what is like today. What expectation we had and how much progress we have achieved in comparison to all the expectations.
I believe that the main reason our country is moving forward is that people participate in everything. It is not our government that does everything, but it is you.
For example, I saw with my own eyes yesterday how the objects are being built in massive snow and wind conditions.
The idea of equal opportunity irritates our enemy the most. I have been to the school, where children of millionaires’ and foreign diplomats are studying. I have seen the conditions in these schools.
There are no ordinary villages in Georgia, each of them is special, but if it can be said so, the school in Nokalakevi is one extraordinary school in an ordinary village and it is far better than those where the millionaires’ children receive thier education.
This is the idea of equal opportunity.
The hospital where every chamber is equipped with the same heating, ventilation and drainage system compared to renovated chambers that used to be only 5-6 in Georgia, while being affordable to very few.
Some are irritated most specifically by this.
When the country was in mud earlier, these kind of persons would look down on people in order to make themselves look better.
People are making this miracle today. Everything is being done by people, for people and eventually for living in a better country.
Certainly I know that there are expansive surgeries, which the bulk of the society cannot afford and as they do not have insurance, or have not reached retirement age and perhaps, do not fall under any of the categories of social protection either, are forced to refuse treatment.
When we talk about healthcare accessibility, let us first create the highest healthcare standards and in parallel to this, make it accessible. Otherwise, there is no sense in talking about the accessibility of what we do not even have.
Some say: the old hospitals are closed down, and it is not a big deal if the new ones are opened. It truly is a big deal, as the patients would not go to the old hospitals, the doctors can confirm that.
There are mainly the same old doctors working in the newly opened hospitals, but according to the statistics, these clinics have 5-10 times more patients, than the old ones.
This is an entirely new system, and a new system creates new quality, new perspectives and new expectation.
Look how Georgia is developing.
We were happy about paving 5-6 kilometers of a road a while ago (5-6 years is not much for history), but today the majority of central roads have been paved. Of course, not every road has been finished yet, but we will connect with every village with a good road very soon.
There is a mechanization process underway in every village: hospitals are being opened everywhere; agriculture is developing enormously, practically in every populated area.
When you take a helicopter flight over this area, you can clearly see the cultivated lands and I am happy that in this regard we can already compare ourselves to the Netherlands. It is a sign of a very high culture whereas; you could only see a bush before.
When visiting the Netherlands, I used to think that our country would never be like that. Let the Dutch fly over the Georgian sky now and see how we have arranged everything here with much less resources.
There are very creative people living here. Look how Poti is developing. We often talk about various problems present in Poti, but in some cases, there is a deficit of labor force today. To a certain extent, the unemployment remains, but a lot of new businesses cannot find people to employ – we need more people.
The Poti airport is being built, which will have a more modern take off-landing runway than any other in the Caucasus.
In short, huge processes are underway.
Every district center is being renovated. Zugdidi will be outstanding soon, as tremendous work is being finalized there.
Together with Anaklia, along with its continuation we are beginning to build Lazika. Of course, they keep saying, as always: We are annoyed with his boasting. If they do not believe, it is their choice, but they will soon see the results – We are bringing in machines there and starting to dry out the swamped areas.
We have already made the plans. There are architects working in collaboration, and among them, the best specialists in the world.
Lazika is not an offspring of my fantasy. It is impossible to fail to develop your trade routes, other communications and not have one of the best ports in the world against the background of such skilled, hardworking and intelligent people.
We have several dozen kilometers underdeveloped along the Black sea shore. We need to utilize this and start its operation for the well being of every family in Samegrelo and hence for the rest of Georgia. We will do this together with you. Such are our plans.
This is our ambition.
Our enemy enjoys our reconstruction the least, as it occupies very precious parts of our territory, yet – temporarily.
They are losing to us in the main, ideological battle. We do not have oil and gas, but we are building cities, which they cannot build.
We do not even have one-thousandth of their military capacity, but we have the capacity for ideas, education, culture and civilization. After all, we are the descendants of Kolkheti.
I have opened a school today and it is impossible for the civilization not to revive in the place, where such culture exists and we are creating this in our epoch.
No matter who says what, in none of the epochs since the 12th Century has there been so much construction in Georgia as in our epoch – one single epoch.
The ones, who have come here today, members of our society, are the ones who are willing to work and believe in the future of their country. We are creating a new glory, new beauty, that our grand-grand children will be proud of, which are admired by people from our neighborhood and central Asia, the intelligent and informed part of Russia, Ukrainians and Moldovans.
Georgia has reached all of this, these hospitals and schools are built because there is no corruption in Georgia. This is the primary contributing factor.
The second is the insurance system that has developed in Georgia, which will allow people to go to hospitals.
This means that we have an impetus to build hospitals.
I would like to remind everyone what it was like in the 90s.
Everyone has already forgotten the term “humanitarian aid”. It was the most popular term during the 90s across the whole of Georgia. Through humanitarian aid would come the medical equipment, yet the kind that was not used in their system anymore – basically antiques. We still had to be very grateful for that.
Economy creates all of this now, there are many things made in Georgia now, which other countries are unable to make. We have made a progress and no one can ever take us back to the past.
We used to be brainwashed that hard work and pro-activeness made no sense; it was said that the main thing is to start begging and someone might show mercy.
Our kids are raised differently today, the way our grandmas and grandpas raised us – to accomplish everything on the basis of their own work, skill, courage and patience.
We are building a society that is based on the principle – the one who will work harder and is more skilled, will accomplish more, go farther, and help himself as well as his own country.
This is exactly what we have to create together.
I want to wish everyone good health.
Thank you very much for the attention.