Health Minister meets newly appointed WHO Representative to Georgia

Mikheil Sarjaveladze, the Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs, held an introductory meeting with João Breda, the newly appointed Representative and Head of Country Office for the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Georgia, the Ministry announced.

The Ministry noted that Sarjaveladze and Breda discussed the country’s healthcare achievements and ongoing sector reforms, while evaluating key challenges ahead.

“The parties reviewed joint projects undertaken by the Georgian Government and the World Health Organisation and set future strategic priorities. They placed special focus on enhancing healthcare service quality and patient safety. Work will actively continue on primary healthcare reform, digital health infrastructure, and leveraging artificial intelligence capabilities across the healthcare sector. The importance of addressing non-communicable diseases and oncology services was also underscored,” the official statement reads.

Sarjaveladze noted that the WHO remains one of Georgia’s principal international partners and emphasised that close collaboration with the organisation is a key government priority. He expressed confidence that Dr Breda’s extensive expertise and leadership, alongside WHO’s local and international teams, will further strengthen Georgia’s healthcare system.

Dr João Breda brings over 15 years of senior executive experience within the World Health Organisation.

Before his appointment in Georgia, Dr Breda served as Special Representative of the WHO Regional Director to Greece and Head of the WHO European Office for Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens. He established the Athens Centre of Excellence, focusing on healthcare quality, patient safety, reducing health inequities, and fostering innovation and leadership. Within the WHO Regional Office for Europe, he led the development, implementation, and evaluation of action plans on nutrition and physical activity strategies. He also founded and led the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD Office), establishing it as a key regional initiative.

Dr Breda has been awarded the Gold Medal of Distinction by the Portuguese Ministry of Health for exceptional services to public health and is a two-time recipient of the WHO Award of Excellence.