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Georgia · Health System

Healthcare in Georgia

Partially verified Last verified June 15, 2026 Reviewed by Henry van de Vorming

Before you move to Georgia, the question that matters isn't "is the healthcare good" — it's "can I, on a temporary visa, actually use it, and what happens in an emergency?" Here's how the system works for a nomad, and where private insurance fits.

At a glance

System
Two-tier: public + private
Public access (nomads)
No — private insurance needed
Emergency number
112
Private GP visit
~€15
Care in English
English care in major cities

How the system works

Georgia runs a tax-funded State Universal Healthcare Programme (introduced 2013) under which the government purchases care from a largely privatised network of hospitals and clinics; the Social Service Agency is the single public purchaser. The public scheme covers most of the resident population (free family-doctor visits, partial co-funding of specialist, diagnostic and inpatient care), while a large share of total health spending — around 48% per WHO — is still paid out of pocket.

Most hospitals and clinics are private for-profit facilities — the sector is dominated by a few vertically integrated corporate groups — and self-pay prices are low by Western standards, so temporary residents typically pay cash or use private/international insurance and self-refer to specialists. Larger private clinics and hospital networks in Tbilisi and Batumi (for example EVEX, Caucasus Medical Centre, MediClub) market English-speaking, expat-oriented services.

WHO/European Observatory analysis credits the Universal Health Care Programme with improving access and reducing the financial risk of inpatient care, but notes persistently high out-of-pocket spending (about 48% of health spending, above the WHO European average), catastrophic costs for roughly one in six households, and weaker primary care and service distribution in rural areas.

Good to know

  • Low self-pay prices: a private GP/family-doctor consultation typically runs about 20-60 GEL (roughly 8-25 EUR)
  • Unified national emergency number 112 reaches police, fire/rescue and ambulance and operates 24/7
  • Private clinics generally have short waits and allow direct self-referral to specialists without a GP gatekeeper
  • English-speaking, expat-oriented private clinics and hospital networks are available in Tbilisi and Batumi

Watch out for

  • The public Universal Healthcare Programme requires registration with a Georgian-issued ID document, so ordinary temporary-stay foreigners and nomads cannot use it and need private or travel health insurance
  • Out-of-pocket payments remain a large share of total health spending (about 48%, higher than the WHO European Region average), with outpatient medicines a key driver
  • Care quality and availability are concentrated in cities; primary care is weaker and facilities thinner in rural areas
  • English is reliable mainly at larger private/expat-focused clinics; smaller or public facilities and rural areas may have limited English
  • system_type is a judgement call: financing is tax-funded and universal, but provision is dominated by private for-profit providers and out-of-pocket payment, so it sits between a Beveridge model and a two-tier public/private model

🩺 Insurance you'll need

Because temporary residents largely can't lean on the public system, and the Remote requires cover, private health insurance is part of the move — not an afterthought. We list the plans that plausibly meet Georgia's requirement, ranked by fit.

See qualifying plans for Georgia →

Healthcare in Georgia: FAQ

Healthcare in Georgia: FAQ

Can I use public healthcare in Georgia as a digital nomad?

In short — the public system is not open to temporary residents, so private health insurance is the route. Most hospitals and clinics are private for-profit facilities — the sector is dominated by a few vertically integrated corporate groups — and self-pay prices are low by Western standards, so temporary residents typically pay cash or use private/international insurance and self-refer to specialists. Larger private clinics and hospital networks in Tbilisi and Batumi (for example EVEX, Caucasus Medical Centre, MediClub) market English-speaking, expat-oriented services.

What is the emergency number in Georgia?

112. Call it for life-threatening emergencies; emergency departments will treat you regardless of insurance, but you may be billed afterwards if you're not covered.

Do I need private health insurance in Georgia?

Yes — beyond being prudent, the Remote requires it (required in practice). See the qualifying plans for Georgia.

Sources