The report is drafted by the Public Defender of Georgia in cooperation with International organization “Global Initiative on Psychiatry - Tbilisi”. It reflects results of the research and monitoring conducted by Georgian and Foreign experts.

Issues related to the Privatization of the LLC “Acad. B. Naneishvili National Center of Mental Health” and Khelvachauri (Batumi) Mental Health Facility and relevant documentations were studied in the process of the research.

The report reveals, that it is unclear what the goals are for privatization and how this will contribute to the implementation of the National Concept on Mental Health and National Strategy. The privatization process seems rushed and was carried out without any consultation with stakeholders. Neither the general privatization conditions nor the framework of privatization were set in advance. There was no open call and no predefined qualifications or experience required of potential investors. Also, there is no uniformity in the format of the two privatizations. The current privatizations do not give certainty in terms of the long-term planning of services and their financial sustainability. It has to be noted that the investor’s business case remains unclear.

It is emphasized in the recommendation part of the report, that the legal framework should include a detailed list of requirements, both with regard to material conditions and standards of care. Furthermore, this should specify sanctions that will follow in the case of non-compliance. In addition to this, adequate governmental and non-governmental control mechanisms should be put in place, including oversight of the implementation of the recommendations of this report, the development of societal and patient councils and a mechanism for patients to submit complaints when they feel their rights have been violated.