On May 22-25, 2017, the Special Preventive Group of the Public Defender of Georgia and the Department of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities carried out monitoring of the Acad. B.Naneishvili National Mental Health Center Ltd.in the village of Kutiri, Khoni municipality.

As a result of the monitoring, the Special Preventive Group praised the repair of the institution, during which, the roof of the 7000-m2 building was fully changed, central and bio-sewage systems were installed, and the wards of four units of the hospital were provided with central heating and hot water. In addition, construction of a new building has been launched, where according to the administration, new wards will be located.

It is welcome that the institution approved the document regulating physical and chemical restraint of patients and the personnel started to document the cases of chemical restraints. The multidisciplinary team operating in the institution, which has been formally functioning since 2014, started to hold meetings and discuss specific cases of patients in May 2017.

Despite the changes, protection of patients’ rights in the institutions is still a challenge. First of all, it should be noted that the state funding for mental health care is insufficient, which is directly related to the quality of psychiatric care. Among the problems are the lack of staff, their qualifications and absence of social protection guarantees.

Infrastructure is obsolete and therefore, the sanitary-hygienic situation of patients may be compared with inhuman and degrading treatment. The institution is overcrowded, due to which, patients have to lie on the beds located in a corridor for several days.

According to the administration, the institution does not have financial and infrastructural sources for studying and treating somatic diseases. Confidentiality of the relationship between patients and doctors, as well as awareness of patients and engagement in the treatment process, is still problematic; patients do not have proper communication of their family members or access to appropriate psycho-social rehabilitation.

The Special Preventive Group is preparing a report on the results of the visit, which will be available to the public after its publication.