Defender welcomes this initiative, but notes that the steps taken in this direction are fragmentary and
require systemic strengthening of state control
Proposal to the Parliament of Georgia
Amend Article 16 of the Law of Georgia on Psychiatric Care so that to stipulate that formally
voluntary patients shall not be normally subjected to physical restraint, while in case of extreme
urgency of physical restraint, the procedure for re-examination of his/her legal status
(voluntary/involuntary) should be initiated immediately
Recommendation to the Government of Georgia
Establish a mechanism for external state oversight of the provision of psychiatric care and
monitoring of the quality of mental health services and protection of rights, the competence of
which will be to receive confidential/open complaints from the beneficiaries of psychiatric
services, their representatives and other stakeholders relating to the violations of rights and the
quality of psychiatric care, as well as to carry out systemic, regular and proactive monitoring of
psychiatric service providers
Recommendation to the Minister of IDPs from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social
Affairs of Georgia:
Ill-treatment
In order to prevent inter-patient violence and ensure their safety, develop a normative
framework to regulate the issues of introduction of an appropriate system of pre-assessment of
risks coming from specific patients by staff, multidisciplinary work, preventive measures to
protect patients from violence and ensure their safety, proper monitoring/supervision of
patients by staff, organization of proper trainings for staff, development of standard procedures
and de-escalation strategy, as well as timely and adequate intervention in case of a danger,
documentation of violence/incidents and responses, accountability and responsibility of the
staff
Define by a legal act the rules for documenting conflicts and violence, as well as measures taken
in response, and the obligation of psychiatric inpatient institutions to apply this rule; define
that each case of violence against patients shall be reported to the Ministry of Internal Affairs,
and if the above is done by telephone, a document shall be drawn up, and fact of reporting a
case to the Ministry shall be registered
Instruct the State Regulation Agency for Medical and Pharmaceutical Activities to examine the
cases of forced hospitalization of patients receiving formally voluntary psychiatric care and take
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