On June 11, 2002, the Union of the Blind organized a protest in front of the Ministry of Labor, Health, and Social Protection in Tbilisi. According to the Union’s chairman, Revaz Maisuradze, the demonstration was held due to problems with funding additional medical services and labor rehabilitation programs for the blind. Although 102,800 GEL had been allocated in the state budget the previous year, the blind community received only 43,200 GEL. Under an agreement signed between the Union and the government, a six-month program was to be implemented and completed by May 1, 2002. However, the blind had still not received the promised March and April payments, amounting to 20,000 GEL.

Maisuradze stated that on February 16 he met with the Minister of Health and Social Protection, Amiran Gamkrelidze, who agreed to allocate 50,000 GEL for eye surgeries. This sum was supposed to cover 10 surgeries per month, but the money never appeared. Additionally, according to Maisuradze, the Ministry of Finance failed to develop the payment mechanism for the 22 GEL monthly allowance promised by the president’s March 26 decree for blind individuals of the first disability group.

Deputy Minister of Health Vasil Chieishvili later met with the protesters, pledging to resolve the funding problems and ensure that eye surgeries for the blind would begin soon. He stated that the difficulties had resulted from bureaucratic misunderstandings rather than misappropriation of funds. The protesters agreed to wait but warned that if the issue was not resolved, they would return and resume demonstrations in front of the ministry.

This protest by the blind in Georgia highlighted ongoing social welfare and healthcare funding challenges in the early 2000s, exposing tensions between marginalised groups and state authorities over unfulfilled promises and delayed support.