On June 1, 1992, the surgical department of the Samtredia hospital went on strike. According to the newspaper Tavisupali Sakartvelo (Free Georgia), the strike began after attacks by drug-addicted members of the paramilitary group Mkhedrioni became more frequent. As the press reported, they were seizing narcotic medicines from doctors, leaving no painkillers for patients.

On May 31, when the “visitors” who had come were denied narcotic substances, they threatened staff with weapons and forced them to crawl on the floor and under beds. They made them collect money that had been thrown on the ground (the attackers themselves scattered the money, saying: “Here, you beggars!”). They cut doctor Khundadze’s coat with a razor blade, and surgeon Kakabadze’s arms were bruised from being beaten with automatic rifles… The police, who were called, stated: “We don’t have the authority to arrest them.”

After this, the surgeons went on strike for three days. According to the newspaper, other hospitals were in a similar situation, with pharmacy vehicles transporting medicines to the regions also being robbed.

Reports about such attacks and doctors’ strikes appeared repeatedly in the press of that time. For example, according to Sakartvelos Respublika (Republic of Georgia), on June 4, armed men burst into the Traumatology and Orthopedics Center on Ushangi Chkheidze Street, beat several doctors, and even fired shots into the air, allegedly because the doctors had insulted their friend. The traumatology staff went on strike, and in solidarity, they were joined by employees of the Second Maternity House, as well as the city’s Second and Third hospitals. “Not a single night passes without armed groups attacking hospitals in order to extort drugs.”

The strikers demanded social protection for doctors, guarantees for their safety, and punishment of the perpetrators.