The FINANCIAL — Aesthetic, reconstructive and plastic surgery clinic Caraps Medline aims to have a 15% financial increase in 2014. The field of medicine is rapidly developing, Peride Khidesheli, Director of Caraps Medline, told The FINANCIAL. She says that consumer behaviour has transformed drastically since 1998.
“It is interesting how client behaviour has been transforming since 1998. Patients were unsure about entering the clinic at the beginning. There was a high demand for anonymity. Today, however, we have a radically different public attitude towards plastic surgery. Modern methods of self care have become prestigious for women. As the majority of females are involved in social activities it is almost obligatory to pay careful attention to their appearance. Accordingly, this field of medicine is rapidly developing,” Khidesheli told The FINANCIAL.
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Established in 1998 Caraps Medline is one of the pioneers in Georgia’s private medical business.
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Khidesheli distinguished 2012 as the most successful year for its company. “Our clinic changed its location and has since expanded. We moved from Vake to Dighomi, the medical district of Tbilisi. The new fashionable building was constructed for our clinic at Lubliana 48. We added a new direction of general surgery, led by Dr. Merab Kiladze.”
Caraps Medline received the most influential business award in the country – Golden Brand – on 27 April.
“Our new clinic is very modern, well-equipped technically and fully satisfies all the demands of the 21st century. The new clinic has a great material and technical base. We have mainly developed our existing fields and added a new, general surgery profile. We already achieved the index that we had planned and stage by stage we will be adding new fields of medicine. We have a great, new infrastructure and the maximum level of comfort is provided here for our patients as well as for our doctors,” Khidesheli said.
“In 2012-2013 we had almost equal capacity of over 80% with positive dynamics. The change of location did not result in significant fluctuations,” said Khidesheli.
Caraps Medline established the innovative method of surgery, so-called bandaging of the stomach with laparoscopic methods. In 2014 two new departments are planned to be added. Prices on surgery are planned to be increased. If a patient does several surgeries in the same stage (dependent on their health), the price will exceed the regular amount and will be calculated due to the complexity of the individual case.
In Khidesheli’s words, any political change influences the private sector more or less, even the universal programme of insurance. However, Caraps Medline has always managed to maintain stability.
Caraps Medline is frequently visited by patients from neighbouring countries. “Comparative prices and most importantly, high quality, is the main reason for our popularity abroad. We run various advertising campaigns in different countries in order to extend the number of our patients.”
The so-called computer era of the 21st century has contributed to obesity problems especially among adolescents worldwide. However, Khidesheli said that the situation, fortunately, is not yet alarming in Georgia.
“Statistically, not so many surgeries are being done among adolescents. However, having a healthy lifestyle for developing healthy generations is very important,” she added.
Caraps Medline offers medical services in the following fields: gynaecology, oncology (mamology), plastic and general surgery, trauma, ophthalmology, blood vessel surgery, and cosmetology.
“Each direction in our clinic is in demand because of the professionals who work here. In plastic surgery we have Dr. Alexander Kalantarov, in gynaecological laparoscopy – Dr. Vadim Khatiashvili, in general surgery – Dr. Merab Kiladze, and in traumatology – Vazha Marsagishvili,” said Khidesheli.
“However, it is not just our leading doctors which are responsible for the success of the company, but each and every member of our staff, who do their utmost every single day for the success and smooth-running of the company. They do a great job for the clinic. We have wonderful medical personnel who are directly involved in the success of the clinic,” Khidesheli added.
According to Khidesheli, rhinoplasty is the most popular plastic surgery in the region among both men and women.
The dark side of aesthetic clinics is cases of “victims” of plastic surgery that can always be found worldwide. Caraps Medline has never encountered such a situation though. However, Khidesheli finds it difficult to establish who would be to blame in such a situation. “Looking for the one at fault is very difficult, as the desired outcome of a plastic surgery operation is made in accordance with the patient’s taste. Fortunately we have not ever had any so-called victims of plastic surgery during our history, and we are optimistic that there never will be any in the future.”
“Doing surgery with less trauma and making them aesthetically effective has always been our doctors’ main goal. Enhancing customer loyalty, ensuring their increasing demand and employing qualified professionals have always been the main priorities of the management of the clinic,” said Khidesheli.
“We are highly oriented of satisfying our customers’ needs. Accordingly, the implementations of any innovation are in line with customers’ demands and priorities,” she added.
Caraps Medline became a member of EVEX Medical Corporation in 2014. “We hope that this membership will help us to achieve ever greater success of larger scales,” said Khidesheli.
According to Khidesheli, satisfied patients are the best advertisements. She says that if a patient is not content with the service you offer, then no amount of advertising can attract them.
“Most of our patients visit us on the recommendation of one of our previous patients. In each of the fields that we offer, we have leading professional doctors who provide the best results in their respective fields. Tbilisi is a small city so information spreads easily. I believe that satisfied patients are a guaranty of new clients,” Khidesheli said.
“As our clinic is one of the winners of the Golden Brand awards, we will do our best to justify the honour. We will try to maintain the reputation that we have in the city and in society. We will continue to offer novelties as and when. We want to do everything new to the same level as everything we have done before. We plan to add some new fields as well. All private structures plan to expand and become bigger eventually. So we too will be working on this in the nearest future,” Khidesheli told The FINANCIAL.
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