GMJ Podcast | Episode 53 — Palliative Care in Georgia: Health System Gaps, Access Barriers, and Policy Implications

We are pleased to announce the release of Episode 53 of the Georgian Medical Journal Podcast, continuing our mission to bridge science, policy, and global health practice.

In this episode, we explore the role of palliative care as a health system indicator, highlighting how access to care, availability of essential medicines, and system-level capacity reflect broader issues of equity and performance.

The discussion is based on the peer-reviewed article by Sharvari Patil and Sulkhan Inaishvili, examining unmet need, structural barriers, and policy implications for palliative care development in Georgia.

Focus of the Episode

• Palliative care as a component of universal health coverage
• Global burden of serious health-related suffering
• Barriers to opioid access and pain management
• Health system inequities and service gaps in Georgia
• Workforce, regulation, and service delivery challenges
• Palliative care as a tracer of system performance

Context and Relevance

Globally, demand for palliative care is rising due to population ageing and the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases. Despite this, access remains highly unequal, with the majority of unmet need concentrated in low- and middle-income countries.

In Georgia, palliative care services remain limited and unevenly distributed, reflecting broader structural challenges within the health system. This episode highlights how strengthening palliative care can improve equity, continuity of care, and overall system responsiveness.

Video https://youtu.be/4kpchxqyik4 Listen Now

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/33U05xcBx4ZERFpwppky7d
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/fr/podcast/the-georgian-medical-journal-podcast/id1879124703
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@GeorgianMedicalJournal
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.fr/podcasts/4853e78c-2d47-454e-ba85-2e0927829b9f/the-georgian-medical-journal-podcast
Castbox: https://castbox.fm/vh/7075396
Goodpods: https://go.goodpods.com/HbSmOZ
Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/1krb6adq

Source Article

Patil S, Inaishvili S.
Palliative Care as a Health System Indicator in Georgia: Unmet Need, Access Barriers, and Policy Implications.
Georgian Medical Journal. 2026;1(1):14–34 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19050661