16 MONITORING OF CUSTODIAL SETTINGS IN UKRAINE: U.S. Embassy in Ukraine and cooperation with UNICEF. 2. The special report on “The current status of the right to medical assistance in detention facilities of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine” is based on the data collected by NPM Department during its monitoring activity and the data from Kharkiv Institute for Social Researches experts who for a number of years were continuously involved in human rights studies at different custodial settings. The report provides a detailed analysis of how medical assistance is given to detainees in remand prisons, including analysis of such issues as conduct of medical examinations, availability of medical professionals, quality of diagnostic and other equipment, measures to prevent infectious diseases within institutions, the right to health care in the context of vulnerable groups of prisoners - TB and hepatitis patients, people living with HIV/AIDS, drug addicts, mental patients, women, minors and people with special needs. The report also carries references to those international instruments that establish the basic requirements for health care in custodial settings. The results of visits to remand institutions also led to some adjustments in the set of tools for the monitoring of medical services in custodial settings that was earlier suggested through the Open Society Justice Initiative program and integration of this method into the operation of NPM in Ukraine. This study became possible due to support of IRF’s “Public Health” Program. Studying NPMs experience in other countries Over the past year the representatives of the civic sector and the staffers of NPM Department carried out two study visits to Spain and Denmark in order to learn about the work of the national preventive mechanisms in these countries. On September 9 - 11, 2013 following the invitation of Ms. Carmen Comas – Mata Mira, Chief of Cabinet of the Ombudsman - Head of NPM in the Kingdom of Spain a delegation of Ukrainian NPM consisting of members of the public (from OSCE Project Coordinator’s Office in Ukraine, Kharkiv Institute for Social researches, AUMLE) and led by Yuriy Bielousov, Head of NPM Department, was in Madrid with a study visit. The visit was carried out with the support of the OSCE Project Coordinator in Ukraine. During the meeting with employees of the Spanish NPM (which operates under the “Ombudsman” model) the delegates in proper detail examined the arrangements in the work of the NPM in Spain, its modes of interaction with the authorities in charge of custodial settings and the system of custodial settings in Spain. It was noted that NPMs in Spain and Ukraine resort in their work to a number of similar mechanisms. For instance, in order to address strategic issues related to the functioning of the national preventive mechanism the Defensor del Pueblo (Ombudsman) of Spain has established an Advisory Board composed of 20 representatives of the civil society, professional organizations and international institutions. The structure and functions of such board are nearly identical to those of the Expert Council established with the Ombudsman of Ukraine. In Spain the Department of NPM consists of 4 experts and 2 administrative assistants; such a small staff explains the relatively small number of visits to custodial settings – less than 400 from 2009 to 2013.