On March 5, 2018, Public Defender Nino Lomjaria visited A. Kajaia Surami Psychiatric Hospital. The Public Defender is extremely concerned about the infrastructural and therapeutic environment in the institution, due to which, patients have to live in unbearable and degrading conditions.

The Public Defender considers that the entire building of the Surami Psychiatric Hospital, both residential and common-use areas, are old and out of order, the inventory is also old and sanitary-hygienic conditions are extremely grave. It should be emphasized that there is in fact no therapeutic environment.

The Special Preventive Group of the Public Defender had been regularly monitoring and detecting deficiencies in diagnostics and treatment of somatic diseases; supply of medications; lack of staff, low level of their qualifications; violence and other systemic challenges. The Special Preventive Group estimates that the psychiatric care provided is inadequate. Insufficient financing is particularly problematic, which is directly related to the quality of psychiatric aid.

The Public Defender has been repeatedly referring to unbearable conditions at the hospital in the annual and special reports. The Public Defender has also developed recommendations for the Ministry of Labour, Health and Social Affairs and urged the agency to ensure placement of patients in a therapeutic environment that would be compatible with the human dignity. Regrettably, the Public Defender saw today that situation remains unchanged.

Nino Lomjaria believes that the Government should urgently take appropriate measures to improve the conditions of the patients placed at A. Kajaia's Surami Psychiatric Hospital.