Doctors from Poland arrive in Georgia to examine former president Mikheil Saakashvili

According to Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, a group of doctors from Poland has started a comprehensive medical examination of former President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili.

Giorgi Chaladze, a representative of the opposition United National Movement party, specified that five doctors had arrived in Georgia. According to Chaladze, their mandate is not limited — they will stay in the country as long as necessary. The medical report will be confidential, and will be handed over to EU countries, writes Novosti-Georgia news agency.

Negotiations regarding Saakashvili’s medical examination have been underway for several months — Polish authorities said back in March 2023 that they were ready to send doctors, but the Georgian government took months to agree.

Saakashvili has been in detention since the fall of 2021. The former president, who was sentenced in absentia by the Georgian court system, was arrested after he returned to Georgia by crossing the border illegally.

The politician’s lawyers have repeatedly said that Saakashvili’s health has deteriorated sharply. He has been in the Vivamed clinic in Tbilisi since May 2022. During court hearings, 20 doctors said that Saakashvili is in extremely serious condition. In February 2023, it was reported that Saakashvili weighed 67 kilograms (about 148 pounds). Before his arrest, he weighed 116 kilograms (roughly 255 pounds) with a height of 195 centimeters (6’4).