2021 – 2022
Pilot accreditation of Georgian healthcare facilities
Quality, Safety & Care · Partner: Accréditation Sans FrontièresMore than 50 facilities enrolled under an adapted Georgian standard; four accredited.
Independent regional public health institute · Tbilisi · since 2011
From evidence to public understanding to policy change
We work across the Caucasus, Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Türkiye on four public health priorities: health security, migration, environmental and occupational health, and quality of care. What makes us different is that we own the whole chain — research and publishing, workforce training, and a public health media network reaching millions — and we use it to change policy.
Official representative of Accreditation Canada in GeorgiaAlliance partner of Accréditation Sans Frontières (Paris)Publisher of the Georgian Medical Journal (Crossref DOI)Registered non-profit, Tbilisi, 2011
Impact in numbers
Every figure is sourced and dated.What fifteen years of work adds up to
15years of public health workSource: PHIG registration, 9 Sept 2011
50+facilities in the ASF pilot accreditationSource: ASF / PHIG, 2021–22
23facilities entering Accreditation Canada accreditationSource: Accreditation Canada, 2023
1,000+CME certificates issuedSource: GMJ Academy records (internal; available on request)
5M+readers a month across the Sheni networkSource: Sheni network analytics (internal; available on request)
2,000+Georgian medical explainer reelsSource: Sheni video archive (internal)
28,000+supplements indexed on supplement.geSource: supplement.ge, Sept 2026
400+online courses in developmentSource: GMJ Academy, 2026
What we work on
Four pillars
We focus where the region’s public health needs and our proven experience meet. Each pillar has its own portfolio, experts and partners; health promotion runs through all four.
Pillar 1
Health Security & Infection Prevention
Infection prevention and control, antimicrobial resistance, biosafety, laboratory quality, One Health and emergency preparedness.
Flagship result — 2026 · Bilingual library of 13 infection prevention protocols and 10 national clinical guidelines published
Explore the pillar →Pillar 2
Health & Migration
Health of labour migrants, refugees and displaced people; migrant-sensitive services; WHO competency standards for health workers.
Flagship result — 2021–26 · Technical work with WHO’s Special Initiative on Health and Migration
Explore the pillar →
Pillar 3
Environment, Work & Health
Occupational safety, environmental and climate exposures, chemicals and waste, consumer product safety.
Flagship result — 2025 · Safe Supplement Georgia: 28,000+ products evaluated and published
Explore the pillar →Pillar 4
Quality, Safety & People-centred Care
Patient safety, quality improvement and patient engagement; accreditation support with our partner ASF.
Flagship result — 2022 · Ministerial order makes independent accreditation mandatory, after PHIG advocacy since 2014
Explore the pillar →Health and MigrationPHIG’s programme and Observatory — evidence, organisations, calendar, research library and our action plan for the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Open the programme → Research Library →Where we work
A Tbilisi hub for four neighbouring regions
Tbilisi sits where Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia meet. We work in Georgian, English and Russian. Select a region to see our work there.
South Caucasus
- 2014–22Advocacy leading to mandatory independent accreditation of state-funded hospitals in Georgia
- 2024Patient and Family Councils in Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi
- 2025Safe Supplement Georgia — a public database of more than 28,000 products
Central Asia
- We are building partnerships with public health institutes, universities and international organisations here. If you work in this region, we would like to hear from you. Contact us →
Eastern Europe
- We are building partnerships with public health institutes, universities and international organisations here. If you work in this region, we would like to hear from you. Contact us →
Türkiye
- We are building partnerships with public health institutes, universities and international organisations here. If you work in this region, we would like to hear from you. Contact us →
How we deliver
Three platforms, one delivery engine
Every pillar publishes, trains and communicates through the same three platforms. This is what lets a regional institute act at national scale — and what partners rarely find in one organisation.
Knowledge
The Georgian Medical Journal (peer-reviewed, open access, Crossref DOI 10.66636), GMJ News, and a bilingual library of Georgian health regulations.
Learn more →Learning
GMJ Academy online courses and continuing medical education, turning evidence into skills for health workers across the region.
400+courses in development
1,000+CME certificates
Public reach
The Sheni network: about 20 Georgian-language health platforms, 2,000+ explainer reels, patient education and consumer safety information.
5M+readers a month
2,000+explainer reels
Our method, in a real case
How we created change: independent accreditation, 2014–2023
Our method runs from evidence to proposal, public voice, engagement, decision and follow-up. This is how it worked for healthcare accreditation in Georgia.
01EvidenceGeorgia had no form of healthcare facility accreditation; patient safety depended on licensing alone.
02ProposalPHIG proposed independent international accreditation for Georgian facilities.
03VoiceFrom 2014 the case was made publicly through social media and academic work.
04EngagementDialogue with the Ministry, providers and professional associations; a pilot with ASF in 2021–22.
05Change2022: a ministerial order makes independent accreditation mandatory for state-funded hospitals.
06Follow-up2023: 23 facilities begin Accreditation Canada accreditation with PHIG support.
Portfolio
Selected projects
2024 – present
Patient and Family Councils
Quality, Safety & Care · Participating hospitalsCouncils in Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi give patients a structured voice in hospital policy.
2020 – 2022
Public health advice during COVID-19
Health Security · Government of GeorgiaPHIG’s Chair served as principal public health adviser to the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
2021 – 2026
Health and migration technical work
Health & Migration · WHO, GenevaTechnical consultancy to WHO’s Special Initiative on Health and Migration, delivered by PHIG’s Chair.
Leadership
Led by practitioners, not only researchers
Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze, MD, MPH, PhD
Chair, Public Health Institute of Georgia
Former WHO staff member (Department of Noncommunicable Diseases, Geneva) and five-year WHO consultant on health and migration. Principal public health adviser to the Prime Minister of Georgia during COVID-19 (2020–22). Member of the UN Secretary-General’s Independent Accountability Panel (2016–21). Humanitarian and development work in more than 25 countries with UNHCR, UNRWA, UNICEF, UNFPA and UNODC. Head of the School of Public Health at David Tvildiani Medical University and Editor-in-Chief of the Georgian Medical Journal.
Partners
Partners and standards bodies
Accreditation is delivered by our alliance partner, Accréditation Sans Frontières.
france-asf.frPHIG supports implementation in Georgia and represents Accreditation Canada in the country.
Our network
One network, connected institutions
PHIG works through a family of programmes and platforms: the Georgian Institute of Labour Studies, our research programme on work and occupational health; the Georgian Medical Journal family — the journal, its newsroom and its academy; our international accreditation partner, Accréditation Sans Frontières; and PHIG’s role as official representative of Accreditation Canada in Georgia. How the network fits together →
Georgian Institute of Labour Studies (GILS)PHIG research programme on work, employment and occupational safety and healthlabour.edu.ge ↗Accréditation Sans FrontièresAlliance partner — accreditation standards and assessmentsfrance-asf.fr ↗
SupplementIndexIngredient and brand safety database, CC BY 4.0supplement.ge ↗
Sheni LabsProduct science lab: verdicts on supplements, traditional medicine, cosmetics and home products; daily alertsshenilabs.ge ↗Accreditation Canada in GeorgiaPHIG is the official representative in Georgia since 2023accreditation.ge ↗Accreditation CanadaInternational healthcare accreditation bodyaccreditation.ca ↗
Georgian Medical JournalPeer-reviewed, open access, Crossref DOI 10.66636gmj.ge ↗GMJ NewsPublic health newsroomnews.gmj.ge ↗
GMJ AcademyOnline courses and continuing medical educationacademy.gmj.ge ↗Latest from the network
Updated automatically from GILS, GMJ News, ASF, the Accreditation Canada office and the Academy’s newest courses.
GMJ News6 Oct 2026Lassa Fever Vaccine and Therapeutic Trials Mark First Major Clinical Progress in DecadesTwo early-phase clinical trials published in Nature Medicine mark the first major advance in Lassa fever countermeasures in over two decades, including the first treatment trial to…GMJ News6 Oct 2026When Recalibration Reproduces Inequity: The Pulse Oximetry Paradox and Why Device Standards Must Account for MelaninPulse oximeter recalibration that shifted from overestimation to underestimation in darker-skinned patients reveals how device standardization can reproduce racial disparities. Int…GMJ News6 Oct 2026Clare Bannon Elected Chair of BMA General Practitioners Committee EnglandDr. Clare Bannon, a general practitioner from Barnsley, has been elected chair of the British Medical Association’s General Practitioners Committee for England. She brings five yea…GMJ News6 Oct 2026Medicare Proposes Fresh Cuts to Hospital 340B Drug Discount ProgramMedicare has announced a new proposal to reduce payment rates for drugs dispensed under the 340B Drug Pricing Program, marking the latest regulatory effort to address cost concerns…GMJ News6 Oct 2026Transgender Sports Bans May Increase Body Scrutiny Risk for All Girls, Experts WarnState-level policies excluding transgender girls from school sports may create unintended consequences for all female athletes by establishing frameworks for invasive body scrutiny…GMJ News6 Oct 2026A 10-Second Daily Finger Exercise May Support Cognitive Function, New Research SuggestsEmerging research suggests a simple 10-second daily finger exercise may support cognitive function and brain health in older adults through motor-cognitive coupling. While prelimin…
GMJ thematic platforms and knowledge hubs
PHIG–GMJ knowledge hubHealthcare Accreditation, Quality of Care & Patient SafetyEvidence, standards and system-level approaches to quality improvement and patient safety.Open knowledge hub →on gmj.ge ↗
PHIG–GMJ knowledge hubHealth and MigrationResearch, policy analysis and knowledge exchange on refugee and migrant health, aligned with WHO, UNHCR and IOM frameworks.Open knowledge hub →on gmj.ge ↗
PHIG–GMJ knowledge hubOccupational Safety and HealthEvidence and resources on workplace safety and workers' health.Open knowledge hub →on gmj.ge ↗
PHIG–GMJ knowledge hubEvidence Hub: Weight, Supplements & Physical ActivityWeight management, dietary supplements, physical activity and lifestyle health communication.Open knowledge hub →on gmj.ge ↗
PHIG–GMJ knowledge hubGlobal Health Accountability (IAP)Accountability frameworks, monitoring of global health commitments and policy translation.Open knowledge hub →on gmj.ge ↗
PHIG–GMJ knowledge hubUEMS Public Health SectionEuropean platform for specialist training, policy and cross-country collaboration in public health.Open knowledge hub →on gmj.ge ↗
Latest
New research and public health news
From the Georgian Medical Journal
2026-08-27 · Georgian Medical JournalGeorgian Dictionary of Public Health (GDPH) — First Electronic Edition, Version 1.0Giorgi Pkhakadzedoi.org/10.66636/gmj.v1.i1.a2012026-08-26 · Georgian Medical JournalThe peptide boom: a critical appraisal of evidence, patient safety risks, and regulatory failure in the experimental wellness peptide marketGiorgi Pkhakadzedoi.org/10.66636/gmj.v1.i3.a2002026-08-25 · Georgian Medical JournalSurgical management of cervico-mediastinal ganglioneuroma in a child: a case reportAmal Lahssini, Hiba Elhajjouli, Wafae Elaamadi et al.doi.org/10.66636/gmj.v1.i3.a1582026-08-25 · Georgian Medical JournalGiant uterine leiomyoma with concurrent endometriosis managed by uterine artery embolisation followed by supravaginal hysterectomy: a case reportNishat Altaf Deraiya, Mosammat Dareen Sanzana, Mosammat Allin Sanzana et al.doi.org/10.66636/gmj.v1.i3.a187
Live from Crossref — records registered under the GMJ DOI prefix 10.66636: 56. gmj.ge ↗
From GMJ News
6 Oct 2026 · GMJ NewsLassa Fever Vaccine and Therapeutic Trials Mark First Major Clinical Progress in DecadesTwo early-phase clinical trials published in Nature Medicine mark the first major advance in Lassa fever countermeasures in over two…6 Oct 2026 · GMJ NewsWhen Recalibration Reproduces Inequity: The Pulse Oximetry Paradox and Why Device Standards Must Account for MelaninPulse oximeter recalibration that shifted from overestimation to underestimation in darker-skinned patients reveals how device standardization can reproduce racial disparities.…6 Oct 2026 · GMJ NewsClare Bannon Elected Chair of BMA General Practitioners Committee EnglandDr. Clare Bannon, a general practitioner from Barnsley, has been elected chair of the British Medical Association’s General Practitioners Committee…6 Oct 2026 · GMJ NewsMedicare Proposes Fresh Cuts to Hospital 340B Drug Discount ProgramMedicare has announced a new proposal to reduce payment rates for drugs dispensed under the 340B Drug Pricing Program, marking…
News & Events
From the institute and the field
Global and regional — published in English and Georgian. All news →
From the institute
All news →Latest news
Network · October 2026
PHIG network today — 6 October 2026
What the sister projects of the PHIG network published today — GMJ, GMJ News, GMJ Academy, GILS, Sheni Labs, SupplementIndex, ASF and Accreditation Canada – Georgia.
Health & Migration — Global · September 2026
Call for Applications
The African Centre for Migration & Society at Wits University is inviting free applications for a Spring School on migration and health research —.
News · September 2026
PHIG launches its official Facebook page
The Public Health Institute of Georgia now has its own Facebook page at facebook.com/publichealth.ge.
International Migrants Day
Worldwide, United Nations
20Jun
World Refugee Day
Worldwide, United Nations / UNHCR
28Jun
International Refugee & Migration Health Conference 2027
Montréal, Canada, Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers
Planning work in the Caucasus, Central Asia or Türkiye?We join consortia, co-author research, deliver training and reach the public. Tell us what you are working on.
Contact the team