Cancer Prompts Some Georgians To Petition EU For Asylum

Georgian cancer patients appear to be regularly traveling to the European Union to claim asylum on humanitarian grounds – a measure allowed under EU migration law. Though Georgia boasts the region’s highest number of doctors (51 per 10,000 people, according to the World Health Organization) and has modernized its hospitals in recent years, these patients say they cannot find the help they need. The country’s universal healthcare system provides free screenings for breast, lung, ovarian, and prostate cancer, but state health insurance and patients themselves often cannot cover the cost of adequate cancer treatment.