Ariel Gatushkin, Synevo Georgia General Manager: “Synevo Celebrates Decade of Outstanding Journey With Spectacular Performance in Georgia”

From one small hospital laboratory to a leading diagnostic service company, now with the most prestigious local business award, the Golden Brand  —  this is the story of Swedish laboratory network Synevo, which celebrated ten years of an “outstanding journey with spectacular performance”, according to Ariel Gatushkin, General Manager of Synevo Georgia.

“Our success was written with the dedicated and professional approach of our staff to provide the best diagnostic services and care for each patient. We are proud to have provided European standard services for over ten years in Georgia, bringing innovative and advanced diagnostic experience in the country. And we are grateful to receive appreciation from the local market as well and become the favorite laboratory network among Georgians.”

Gatushkin says that Synevo will continue to expand in order to be “even closer to our patients” and ensure access to “accurate and timely” medical diagnostic services.

“We plan to operate a chain of 100 laboratory centers across the country. Our aim is to open at least seven new laboratories in the country this year, to bring new advanced tests to the market and to increase our business into the double digits. We think that we need to be present in every town in Georgia that is above 10,000 people.”

Gatushkin recalled the time when Synevo first started operations in Georgia as a “ startup project” in 2012. 

“Back then we operated one laboratory and employed less than 10 employees. Very few people believed in our idea and our business model. Nevertheless, today, 10 years later, we are a very successful company. Synevo Georgia is a national provider and a market leader of laboratory diagnostics in Georgia. We operate a chain of 45 laboratory centers across the country, three regional laboratories and one central laboratory in Tbilisi, and we employ more than 200 dedicated and professional employees.”

Q. Georgian customers have named Synevo Georgia as their favorite Medical Laboratory this year. What brought Synevo Georgia this recognition in your opinion?

A. There are many reasons for this but one of the major ones is that we are a very customer-centered and quality-oriented company. We always put our customers at the heart of any of our operations and act accordingly. Everything we do comes with an understanding that behind every tube there is a person and their health depends on our actions. 

Q. Golden Brand is given to brands following successful operations of the previous year. Please summarize 2022.

A. 2022 wasn’t an easy year. COVID-19 went away and so did projects that were directly connected to this. The war in Ukraine, worldwide inflation, local political instability took its place. There were many issues that affected our region, Synevo operations in Europe, and in Georgia, but despite that we had great results in 2022 as in all previous years.

Q. What charity activities is Synevo involved with in Georgia?

A. Ethical responsibility: Synevo operates its business in an ethical manner that upholds human

rights principles, such as fair treatment of all stakeholders, fair trade practices and equal pay

without gender discrimination.

Environmental responsibility:  Several years ago we started switching from big engine cars to

smaller engines and hybrid cars. Starting this year we will start acquiring electrical vehicles as well.

Philanthropic responsibility: Donating funds to children and women organizations. Participating in sporting event fundraisers.

Q. What are the main challenges that Synevo is currently facing in Georgia and how will you overcome them?

A. One of the main challenges that should be mentioned is the unethical promotion of many

players on the medical market. It creates an unfair attitude and violates customers’ interest. We are a European company and strictly follow ethical marketing rules.

We are relying on our service quality and transparency in all business processes. On the one hand the solution is to explain to the medical society in Georgia that Synevo does not work this way. When they need quality testing they are welcome to try us, but on the other hand the government regulations and following these regulations, are essential to overcoming this problem as well.

Many hospitals and clinics are not looking for quality testing and are focused mainly on pricing. We are choosing very carefully our partners and switched the business model in the last years from 100% corporate dependent to 95% end-customer dependent.

Q. What is the innovative and advanced diagnostic experience that Synevo brought to Georgia? 

A. Synevo’s vision from the very beginning was focused on innovation, quality

and on patients’ needs. Our lab is equipped with state of the art analyzers from Roche

Diagnostics, machines that no other lab in the country has. 

Synevo Georgia utilizes a fully automated laboratory information system and pre-printed barcode system. We expend a lot of resources to reduce human error to a minimum while performing laboratory tests. We are constantly bringing new tests and new technologies to the country. For example, we send tests from Tbilisi to Germany and Cyprus for the latest generation NIPT testing Veracity and Veragene, that is done only in our labs in these countries, or Liquid PAP testing, the new standard in early diagnosis of papilloma virus in women.

Synevo Georgia was also the first laboratory in the country that aimed to bring quality, accurate laboratory testing and convenience not only to the central neighborhoods in Tbilisi, but to all of them and to every region in the country. This is why we are constantly expanding and operating laboratories all over the country. This actually affects the local market as lab quality gradually increases. Local competitors began noticing us and were forced to increase their quality as well.

Q. Synevo Laboratories also runs a home visit service. How in-demand is this service? 

A. I would say that home visit is a very popular service. We started with one home visit team

several years ago and today we have five teams in Tbilisi who go on home visits every 40

minutes and are fully booked. 

Comfort is actually the name of the game. This is one of the reasons why we started to open laboratories in different neighborhoods in Tbilisi and other regions. Giving tests should be as simple as going to the bank or pharmacy next door. Emailing of lab results is also part of this approach ⁠— we have been actually sending results via email since 2012. All of this is to make our customers’ lives easier and more comfortable.

We are also the first provider of laboratory services to develop an online ordering service through our website, where customers can order any single and profile tests in all branches of our laboratory as well as at home. This makes our service even more convenient and patient-oriented.

I will also use this opportunity to express my gratitude for and appreciation of our committed and professional team in Georgia. They are the ones who are responsible for quality of service and outstanding success in Georgia.