Dear Ms Odisharia

Many thanks for your e-mail. UNPD willingness to support the ministry in COVID19 response is much appreciated. Both areas outlined in your e-mail are highly important. We would be more than happy to elaborate details for these interventions including target groups, specific activities etc. I would suggest to have a teleconference with all potential parties to discuss more.

I am cc-ing Dr. Amiran Gamkrelidze for NCDC engagement with component 1 on effective COVID 19 surveillance.

Maia Nikolaishvili will assist with the meeting logistics as needed.

პატივისცემით,

თამარ გაბუნია

მინისტრის მოადგილე

Sincerely,

Tamar Gabunia, MD, MPH

Deputy Minister

Dear Ms. Gabunia,

On behalf of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in  Georgia, we would like to express our appreciation to the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia for successfully implementing the measures with the aim to overcome the health and development crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

UNDP would like to propose its support to the Ministry in urgently and effectively responding to COVID-19. Therefore, we have carefully reviewed emergency response needs of the Government as shared by the Administration of Government on the 25 March 2020 and would like to offer our assistance and further discuss possibilities of future cooperation in the following priority areas:

ü  Building information system for effective COVID 19 surveillance, data management and contact tracing systems. (These systems can be built on existing e-government structures);

ü  Strengthening first-point-of contact strategy for possible COVID-19 cases envisaging a centralized hotline, an online platform, and physical locations in specially established temporary centers or primary care facilities.

We stand ready to support the Ministry in providing Technical Assistance (TA) to strengthen emergency response capacity of hospitals and public health services in needs assessment, emergency response planning, monitoring and evaluation.  In addition, the TA may include inspection for the prevention and control in local clinics, and capacity development of physicians and nurses in managing severe COVID-19 cases.

As you are aware, last week, we have already communicated with the Embassy of the Czech Republic, who partially covers the similar activities and would appreciate your further guidance to outline from the above-mentioned areas, in which the Ministry would require UNDP’s assistance.  

Thank you very much for the effective partnership in advance.

Sincerely,

Salome Odisharia