Partners for Health NGO (PfH)
(formerly – Atlanta-Tbilisi Health Partnership Program, ATHPP)
 
www.moh.gov.ge
cu.edu.ge
www.who.int
http://www.cost.esf.org/
www.interfasol.eu
med.emory.edu
www.aiha.com
www.usaid.gov
www.coe.int

 

 

 

 

History

 

Partners for Health (PfH) was established as Georgian side of Atlanta-Tbilisi Health Partnership (ATHP), which has carried out numerous projects and activities in Georgia since 1992. 
In the framework of American International Health Association (AIHA), a Washington-based NGO funded by the USAID, US partner institutions - Emory University (Schools of Medicine and Public Health), Georgia State University, the Morehouse School of Medicine; Grady Memorial Hospital; and Georgia Institute of Technology have established Atlanta side of the partnership, whilst the Georgian side has been represented by the Ministry of Health of Georgia initially with dozen other institutions later joined/ or being established by the partnership.


Partners for Health NGO has been founded in 1999. Dr. Archil Kobaladze has been the PfH Board Chairman until his untimely death in 2001.

Since 2002 Dr. Zviad Kirtava acts as elected Board Chairman and CEO.

PfH registration #202218527 (2003).

 

Achievements:


Since 1992 ATHP has assisted government of Georgia to establish several institutions – Georgian Nursing Association (1995), EMS training Center (1995), National Information Learning Center (1996), Center of Disaster and Emergency Medicine (1999), Women Wellness Center in Kutaisi (1999), Neonatology NGO Neonatus (1999), etc. ATHP has played major role in starting and/or extending training programs in nursing, hospital administration (at Gudushauri National Medical Center and Iashvili Children Central Hospital), medical Informatics, telemedicine/distance learning and public health. Several very important projects and research – like Iodine deficiency investigation and eradication, research on out-of pocket healthcare expenditures in Georgia, major joint US-Georgian research programs in AIDS and TB research have been accomplished. Dr. Kenneth Walker, co-founder of Atlanta-Tbilisi Health Partnership (along with Dr. Arhil Kobaladze), has been awarded Honorary Citizenship of Georgia in 2005 and also has got USAID's Senior Citation Award in 2006. One can read Dr. Walker's numerous trip reports to Georgia here, they reflect Atlanta-Tbilisi Health Partnership program's developments and also represent interesting historical observation of Georgia at the edge of Millenium.
 

PfH has been leading institution in Georgia in field of e-Health (Telemedicine/Telelearning). In 1999 first draft for Telemedicine and Distance Medical Education Strategy has been prepared and discussed and Presidential council. In 2003 adjusted plan for e-Health for Primary Health Care system has been prepared along with Norwegian Telemedicine Center (Tromso, Norway) and WHO Center for Integrated Healthcare (Barcelona, Spain). In 2000-2001 – First US-Georgian Satellite Distance Medical Education Program has been carried. In 2010 PfH Implemented first mobile health application in Georgia  – mobile telemonitoring for Arrhythmia patients; and in 2012 – first regional e-health network model for Adjara hospital system (both projects done by CRDF and Georgia's Shota Rustaveli NSF grants). In 2014-15 – Teledermatology project was carried out in cooperation with Georgian Association of Dermatooncology, Dermoscopy and Skin Optical Diagnostic (ADDaSOD). PfH was partner in 3 Actions of European Commission’s COST Program – Econ@Tel (#IS605, 2006-2011), ADAPT (IS1103, 2011-2016) and InterFaSol (#1311, 2016-2018).

Since 2016 PfH has established remote office in Khobi (Samegrelo-Svaneti regions) and aims to expand its scope to Environmental projects.