New Veterinary Clinic Opened in Gulripshi

On August 6, 2019, an awareness-raising event was conducted at the newly built Veterinary Service Centre in Gulripshi. The event aimed at informing farmers in the district about the presence of the clinic and the services that it can provide. The centre was completed earlier this year as part of the two-year project “Promoting Integrated Approaches to Animal Health and Plant Protection in Abkhazia” funded by the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC).

“Our goal is to provide professional support to farmers, timely responding to animal diseases”, said the Head of Gulripshi Vet Service, Ruslan Kondukchyan. “The construction of a new building is of great importance for residents of the district. The building is in the centre of Gulripsh district and that is convenient for every villager, as they will have easy access to veterinary services.”

Action Against Hunger Program Manager, Lyalya Chanba, stressed at the event the close cooperation between the programme team and the Veterinary Service Department in Abkhazia: “Together, we are conducting awareness-raising meetings in Gali, Tkvarcheli, Ochamchire, Gulripshi and Sukhumi districts. At the same time, we have set up a single database for animal vaccinations that will cover the whole of Abkhazia.”

The project started in early 2018 and aims to improve the quality of services provided by the local Plant Protection Department and the Veterinary Service Department in Abkhazia. Both institutions are crucial in a place where a large share of the rural population relies heavily on agriculture for their household income. Besides the construction of the Veterinary Service Centre in Gulripshi the project supports the Veterinary Service Department to increase their technical and institutional knowledge through the engagement of international consultant experts in Abkhazia while at the same time running study tours for veterinarians to other countries within Europe.