Georgia Healthcare Group PLC GHG PLC contingency plan for COVID-19 (6780G)
19 March 2020 - 3:08AM
UK Regulatory
TIDMGHG
RNS Number : 6780G
Georgia Healthcare Group PLC
18 March 2020
London, 18 March 2020
Georgia Healthcare Group PLC contingency plan for COVID-19
Georgia Healthcare Group PLC ("GHG" or "the Group") announces
that we, as the largest healthcare provider in the country, realise
our responsibility within Georgia to help combat the Coronavirus
(COVID-19) global pandemic and have developed a significant
Group-wide action plan to address the outside demand, our customers
and patients' needs, as well as to ensure the performance and
well-being of our employees at an organisational level.
We have put contingency plans in place for all our businesses
and units, including healthcare facilities, pharmacies and our
central warehouse. To prevent the virus spread, employees of our
hospitals and clinics have been given comprehensive training,
including how to manage patient flow, based on Georgian National
Center for Disease Control and Public Health ("NCDC")
recommendations. Special triages have been put at the entrances of
our hospitals to manage flow properly and visitors' entrances have
been closed. Our call centres have been briefed about prescreening
of patients. Educational materials have been distributed and are
widely accessible in our facilities and online. Personal protection
equipment has been procured and made available in our facilitates,
with appropriate instructions.
We are working with our key vendors on a daily basis to ensure
uninterrupted furnishing of materials and supplies, taking account
of the current limited supplies of certain goods. We are closely
monitoring and managing our stock level, to ensure that we have
enough medicines and major consumables in the country, in case of a
significant virus outbreak.
To protect the health and safety of our employees all of our
businesses' head offices have moved to remote working.
Currently, patients affected by COVID-19 are being managed in
designated state infectious disease facilities that do not involve
GHG. However, in order to prepare for any potential outbreak, in
case of need and in close coordination with the Government, we have
announced our readiness to isolate four GHG hospitals across the
country with properly trained medical personnel, isolated wards,
intensive care and critical care units. This will limit the spread
of the virus in regular hospitals.
We are in constant contact with the Georgian NCDC and Ministry
of Labour, Health and Social Affairs and are awaiting further
instructions, should additional activities become necessary.
Given the current level of uncertainty with regard to the global
impact of COVID-19, and the potential length of time of that impact
the Group is reconsidering its capital expenditure projects and at
this time is prioritising only those that are important to current
business' operations. In the meantime, while the full economic
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is better understood, the Board of
Directors has decided not to recommend a dividend to shareholders
at the 2020 Annual General Meeting at this stage, as announced in
the 2019 preliminary results on 24 February 2020. When the full
economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is better understood, the
Board will consider the appropriate level. We will provide a
further update with the announcement of the Group's first quarter
of 2020 results in May.
"So far, the country is successfully tackling the global
Coronavirus crisis. GHG's performance also remains strong in 2020
and all of its units are continuing operations without any
interruption. Currently our priority is to provide flawless service
to our patients and customers and to support the country's
governmental healthcare systems to effectively manage the situation
and keep our employees and citizens healthy. The Group is
well-positioned with strong capital resources for the current
challenge, and we aim to ensure that this remains the case. We will
monitor the impact of COVID-19 on an ongoing basis to manage our
resources according to evolving circumstances and will take further
steps to keep our communities safe . " commented Nikoloz
Gamkrelidze , CEO of Georgia Healthcare Group.
This announcement contains inside information for the purposes
of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 596/2014.
Name of authorised official of issuer responsible for making
notification: Ketevan Kalandarishvili, Head of Investor
Relations
About Georgia Healthcare Group PLC
Georgia Healthcare Group PLC is a UK incorporated holding
company of the largest healthcare services provider in the
fast-growing, predominantly privately-owned, Georgian healthcare
services market. GHG's leadership position is underpinned by
offering the most comprehensive range of inpatient and outpatient
services targeting the mass market segment through its vertically
integrated network of 18 hospitals and 34 clinics. GHG is the
single largest market participant, accounting for 24% of total
hospital bed capacity in the country, as of 31 December 2019. GHG
is also the largest pharmaceuticals retailer and wholesaler in
Georgia, with approximately 32% market share by revenue and the
largest provider of medical insurance in Georgia with a 32% market
share based on net insurance premiums earned and approximately
c.236,000 insurance customers. GHG employed a total of c.15,900
people as at 31 December 2019, including c.3,600 physicians and
2,900 pharmacists.
For further information, please visit ghg.com.ge or contact:
Nikoloz Gamkrelidze Irakli Gogia Ketevan Kalandarishvili
CEO CFO Head of Investor
Relations
+995 322 550505
+995 322 550505 (5077) +995 322 550505 (5088) (5079)
ngamkrelidze@ghg.com.ge irakligogia@ghg.com.ge ir@ghg.com.ge
This news report is presented for general informational purposes
only and should not be construed as an offer to sell or the
solicitation of an offer to buy any securities
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END
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