On December 23, 2024, Public Defender of Georgia Levan Ioseliani and Deputy Public Defender Irine Chikhladze visited the Mental Health Center located at LLC Imermedi – Imereti Regional Medical Center (Terjolamedi), inspected the infrastructure of the institution, and spoke with the staff and patients.

The center is designed for 18 beds, all of which are occupied; the visit made it clear that the center faces infrastructural problems. Patients do not have the opportunity to go out into the fresh air; maintaining sanitary and hygienic conditions in the building is a challenge. In addition, there are frequent cases of hospitalization of the same persons, which is caused by the lack of community services in the region.

During the treatment process, patients are not provided with psychosocial rehabilitation interventions and their individual needs are poorly taken into account. The center suffers from a shortage of necessary personnel/specialists.

The Public Defender and his representatives continue to supervise the protection of the rights of persons placed in psychiatric institutions, and the monitoring results are reflected in parliamentary and special reports.