Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze

MD, MPH, PhD  ·  WHO Expert  ·  Member, UN Independent Accountability Panel (2016–2021)  ·  Founder, ASF  ·  Chair, PHIG  ·  Editor-in-Chief, GMJ

Independent Accountability Panel — United Nations

Prof. Pkhakadze was appointed by the UN Secretary-General as a member of the Independent Accountability Panel (IAP) for the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health (2016–2021). The IAP is the only independent accountability mechanism established under the SDGs, mandated to hold governments, donors and the private sector accountable for commitments to women’s and children’s health.

Panel members: Alicia Ely Yamin · Carmen Barroso · Kul Chandra Gautam · Brenda Killen · Pali Lehohla · Winfred Lichuma · Elizabeth Mason · Giorgi Pkhakadze · Daksitha Wickremaratne

As IAP member, Prof. Pkhakadze promoted independent accreditation of health facilities as a non-negotiable tool for quality care and patient safety — a conviction that directly shaped the founding of ASF in 2020 and the launch of Georgia’s national accreditation programme.

Read the IAP Report →

Career Highlights

• Founder & President, Accréditation Sans Frontières (ASF), Paris · est. 2020 · offices in Paris, Geneva and Tbilisi
• Chair, Public Health Institute of Georgia (PHIG) · National Adaptation Partner for ASF in Georgia · publichealth.ge
• Member, UN Independent Accountability Panel (IAP) for the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health · 2016–2021 · appointed by the UN Secretary-General
• Initiated and led Georgia’s national healthcare accreditation programme · 2014–2023 · Deputy CEO, Evex Medical Corporation → first 4 Georgian hospital accreditations (2021) → mandatory Ministry decree (2023)
• Principal public health adviser to the Prime Minister of Georgia during COVID-19 · 2020–2022
• Secretary/Treasurer, UEMS Section of Public Health, Brussels
• WHO Expert · Global Fund · UN agencies · 25+ countries

Championing Accreditation in Georgia — 2014 to 2022

Georgia’s journey toward mandatory healthcare accreditation did not begin with a government decree. It began in 2014, inside Evex Medical Corporation — Georgia’s largest private healthcare network — where Prof. Pkhakadze served as Deputy CEO responsible for strategy, development and quality of care.

At the time, accreditation was largely unknown in the Georgian healthcare system. No national framework existed. No international body operated in the country. Prof. Pkhakadze began the internal work of introducing accreditation standards across Evex’s facilities — and simultaneously initiated a broader advocacy effort: engaging health ministry officials, hospital directors, professional associations and civil society to make the case that independent accreditation was not a luxury for wealthy health systems but a practical tool for patient safety everywhere.

Left: ASF expert team, Georgia · Right: Monthly monitoring visit, 2025

Through PHIG — the Public Health Institute of Georgia, which he chairs — Prof. Pkhakadze formalised this work into a structured programme. By 2021 and 2022, over 50 healthcare facilities across Georgia had signed agreements with ASF or PHIG to begin the accreditation preparation process. This represented the first time a significant number of Georgian hospitals and clinics had voluntarily committed to an independent external quality framework.

Four hospitals completed the full process and earned accreditation — a first in the country’s modern healthcare history. The evidence base built through this work was presented to government, contributing to a fundamental shift in national policy: in January 2023, the Georgian Ministry of Health issued Ministerial Order No. 4/ნ, making international accreditation a legal requirement for hospitals participating in the universal health coverage programme. Seven international accreditation bodies entered the Georgian market following the Order.

The journey from a single internal quality initiative in 2014 to a national mandatory framework in 2023 — and the founding of ASF in Paris in 2020 as the international vehicle for this work — reflects Prof. Pkhakadze’s conviction that accreditation must be accessible, evidence-based, and built for health systems at every income level. His 2026 GMJ analysis of accreditation costs across 13 international bodies documents what he saw firsthand in Georgia: that the existing system excludes precisely the countries that need it most.