Levan Metreveli was already a Member of Parliament in Georgia before he arrived as a Georgian MPH Muskie Fellow at Emory University, and he plans to return to Parliament with a clearer focus on influencing public health legislation and services in Georgia.
In 2001, Levan Metreveli and his colleagues established the “Georgian Public Health Association”, a nongovernmental professional association that was engaged in public health projects ranging from the grassroots level through policy development. After he was elected to the Parliament of Georgia, Mr. Metreveli immediately got involved in two major activities: amending health legislation and health reform. As Mr. Metreveli points out, “the Soviet-style public health system proved to be ineffective in the environment of a market economy and developing democratic infrastructure. Therefore, the necessary change, both in functionality and institutional structure, was enormous.”
Mr. Metreveli arrived in Atlanta with the scale of public health reform in Georgia in mind, and with the intention to update and expand his professional background and expertise. At Emory, Mr. Metreveli had the opportunity to enhance his knowledge in the classroom and through frequent interaction with public health colleagues. “I greatly enjoyed the course of Global Health Policy which offered a comprehensive view of international public health interventions.” Mr. Metreveli notes that although the United States and Georgia share many of the same health care challenges, according to his observations, the United States has succeeded in health promotion, quality assurance, and patient rights.
When he returns as a Member of Parliament, Mr. Metreveli will be active in the development of a health financing model in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, as well as a health legislation transition, with an emphasis on new public health law. “My Muskie fellowship at Emory appeared to be absolutely essential for me. My view of public health has radically changed. I believe that the knowledge and experience I gained through the Muskie fellowship can easily be applied at different levels both nationally and internationally."