Georgia’s Emergency Medical Team achieves prestigious WHO international classification

The Emergency Medical Team (EMT-1) of the Emergency Coordination and Urgent Assistance Centre has been awarded international classification by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

According to the Ministry of Health, this classification follows a rigorous and successful international verification process. The ministry noted that this prestigious status confirms the team fully complies with global standards and possesses the capabilities required for swift and effective emergency response.

The Minister for Health, Mikheil Sarjveladze, attended the celebratory ceremony. He emphasised that establishing an emergency medical team that meets international standards is a momentous milestone for the country.

“This classification is not only an endorsement of the exceptional quality of the Centre’s work, but also a testament to its continuous development, its institutional strengthening, and the profound professionalism of its staff,” the Minister stated.

The award of the certificate followed an evaluation visit by a panel of international assessors from the WHO Emergency Medical Team, who scrutinised the unit’s readiness and operational capabilities. As part of this assessment, a field simulation exercise was conducted by EMT-1 near the Tbilisi Sea. The deployment aimed to test the team’s response times, coordination, and resource management efficiency under simulated crisis and large-scale disaster conditions.

By securing this international classification, Georgia’s Emergency Medical Team is now fully certified to deploy to both domestic and international humanitarian and emergency medical missions when called upon.

The ceremony was also attended by the Deputy Minister of Health, Tea Giorgadze; the Director of the Emergency Coordination and Urgent Assistance Centre, Nikoloz Chikovani; alongside international EMT experts and Centre personnel.