Junior doctors with work and clinical experience in shortage specialties are given the opportunity to take the state certification exam

For junior doctors who, for various reasons, were unable to complete residency programs but have relevant practical experience for the appropriate duration, a new opportunity has been provided. Such a statement made the Minister of Health Mikheil Sarjveladze. According to the amendments, junior doctors employed in deficit specialities who have already passed the unified diploma post-qualification exam and have worked in clinics for the duration specified by residency programs will be given the opportunity until October 1, 2026, to take state certification exams and obtain the right to independent medical practice. “The Parliament initiated amendments, while the ministry determined the list of deficit specialities based on detailed data analysis, which takes into account doctors’ certificates, actual employment indicators, age and geographical distribution, residency study data, and other factors. According to the recently approved and published amendments, approximately 800 junior doctors will be directly impacted by the new regulations. Those who wish to continue practising medicine will be allowed to do so under these updated norms. However, a prerequisite for this is successfully passing the certification exams. It is particularly significant that, considering many challenges, doctors who were unable to complete residency for various reasons but have accumulated enormous experience through their practical activities will have the opportunity to take an exam that measures their real capabilities, qualifications, and skills. Based on this, they will be granted the right to independent medical practice. We will continue fighting in this direction against the challenges that may characterize the sector, so that in Georgia, qualification of doctors in medical specialities develops constantly, continuously, and at a rapid pace”, - explained Mikheil Sarjveladze. The list of medical specialities facing shortages includes: Psychiatry Radiation Oncology Pediatric Gastroenterology Pathological Anatomy and Clinical Pathology Nuclear Medicine Cardiac Surgery Neurosurgery Anesthesiology and Resuscitation Nephrology Emergency Medicine Pediatric Emergency Medicine Pediatric Infectious Diseases Pediatric Phthisiatry and Pulmonology Pediatric Haematology and Transfusiology Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Physical Medicine Rehabilitation Balneology Rheumatology and Forensic Medicine