Healthcare is the thing you never think about when moving — until you need it at night. Georgia works differently from post-Soviet systems: there are no district doctors and no clinic assigned to your address, but private clinics are everywhere and you can usually see a doctor within a day. Here is how it works in practice, what an appointment and insurance cost, what to do in an emergency, and which districts of Tbilisi actually have a clinic nearby. The district figures come from our own database — the distance from every flat to the nearest clinic.
- No assignment by address: you go to any clinic and any doctor, by appointment — usually tomorrow, often today.
- Ambulance is 112, free for everyone including foreigners.
- A specialist visit runs roughly 50–150 GEL without insurance; private insurance for a foreigner starts around 30 GEL a month and goes well above 100.
- There are more pharmacies than clinics — nearly 2,000 against 728 nationwide, and many prescription drugs are sold over the counter.
- Best districts for clinic access are Didube, Vera, Vake, Sanzona and Saburtalo (128–190 metres); the worst are Bagebi, Vashlijvari and Varketili.
Clinics on the map
A Google map for the query "clinic hospital Tbilisi" — click a pin for opening hours, phone number and reviews.
Below is our own map: 306 clinics and hospitals in Tbilisi from open OpenStreetMap data — the same points we use to calculate distances in our listing analyses. Click a dot to see its name.
How healthcare works
The key difference from the post-Soviet habit: you are not attached to anything. There is no catchment area, no district polyclinic tied to your registration, no mandatory referral from a GP before you can see a specialist. You pick a clinic yourself — by reviews, price, the doctor's language or simply proximity — book by phone or messenger, and go.
The state universal healthcare programme covers citizens and permanent residents, and it covers them partially: emergency care, some planned operations, treatment under specific programmes. A foreigner with a residence permit can buy private insurance — a separate product, and the one that covers most everyday situations.
The large networks are Aversi, PSP, GPC, MediClubGeorgia, Ingorokva, New Hospitals and Caucasus Medical Centre. Some have Russian-speaking staff and English-speaking doctors, but that is worth confirming when you book rather than assuming.
Prices and insurance
| Service | Rough price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GP appointment | 40–80 GEL | Private clinic, no insurance |
| Specialist appointment | 60–150 GEL | Cardiologist, neurologist, gynaecologist |
| Ultrasound | 50–120 GEL | Depends on the area scanned |
| Basic blood tests | 60–150 GEL | Results usually the next day |
| Dentistry, treating a cavity | 80–250 GEL | One reason for medical tourism to Georgia |
| Private insurance | 30–100+ GEL per month | Depends on age, coverage and deductible |
These are indicative figures from public price lists and reviews, not official tariffs: prices vary widely between clinics and change over time. Ask when booking — in private clinics that is normal practice.
Whether insurance is worth it depends on how you live. If you are healthy and see a doctor twice a year, paying per visit is cheaper. Insurance pays off when you have children, a chronic condition, or when predictability matters: hospitalisation without insurance runs into thousands of lari.
In an emergency
- 112 — one number for ambulance, police and fire. The call is free and the operator usually speaks English.
- Emergency departments of large hospitals work around the clock and you can walk in without a referral.
- Keep your address in Georgian ready (copy it from the map app) — it speeds up the ambulance if you are speaking English.
- With children, go straight to a children's hospital rather than the nearest adult clinic: dedicated paediatric departments are rarer than you would expect.
Districts: where a clinic is close
For every active flat in our database we measured the distance to the nearest clinic. The table shows the district median and the share of flats within 800 metres — about a ten-minute walk.
| District | To a clinic, median | Within 10 minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Didube | 116 m | 99% |
| Vera | 128 m | 99% |
| Vake | 128 m | 98% |
| Vedzisi | 150 m | 98% |
| Sanzona | 151 m | 99% |
| Digomi | 168 m | 99% |
| Chugureti | 176 m | 94% |
| Saburtalo | 186 m | 99% |
| Vazisubani | 272 m | 98% |
| Isani | 280 m | 97% |
| Mtatsminda | 280 m | 93% |
| Abanotubani | 283 m | 99% |
| Gldani | 355 m | 78% |
| Mukhiani | 358 m | 83% |
| Sololaki | 375 m | 84% |
| Ortachala | 398 m | 99% |
| Nadzaladevi | 407 m | 97% |
| Krtsanisi | 606 m | 99% |
| Varketili | 674 m | 55% |
| Bagebi | 741 m | 63% |
| Vashlijvari | 810 m | 44% |
What to do right after the move
- Find your clinic while nothing hurts: read reviews, confirm there is a doctor who speaks your language, save the number.
- Save 112 and the address of the nearest 24-hour emergency department.
- Translate your records on chronic conditions and vaccinations into English — it saves time at the first appointment.
- Price insurance for your own situation, not "because everyone buys it".
- Check a flat's distances — to a clinic, pharmacy, kindergarten and transit — in our listing analysis.