initiative.431 An internal complaint box is located in the LTD Senaki Centre for Mental Health, albeit without
any function, as patients have no information about complaint procedures.
4.6. Therapeutic and safe environment
Psychiatric institutions shall ensure that patients are treated in a safe and therapeutic environment and in
the conditions respecting their dignity.432 During the monitoring visits to the psychiatric institutions in
2020, it is still noticeable that the existing infrastructure, living conditions and sanitary-hygienic condition
fail to ensure the treatment of patients in conditions respecting their dignity. Further, the principle of
universal design and reasonable accommodation is not ensured in the hospitals.433
The living conditions of patients in the psychiatric institutions inspected during 2020 have not improved.
It is noteworthy that the infrastructure of inpatient institutions is not fully or partially adapted for people
with mobility and sensory impairments. For example: there is no elevator in the LTD Tbilisi Mental Health
Center, and the stairs between the 3rd and 4th floors are depreciated, which creates a risk of falling down.
The elevator is functioning at the LTD Center for Mental Health and Drug Prevention, while the LTD Senaki
Center for Mental Health is equipped with ramps, although the sanitary-hygienic facilities in both
institutions are not adapted to the needs of patients with mobility impairments.
Both the buildings and the household inventory are outdated requiring renovation. 4, 5 and 6 patients
live in some wards at LTD Centre for Mental Health and Prevention of Addiction and LTD Tbilisi Mental
Health Centre making it impossible to ensure the minimum living space set by the standard.434 In addition,
in the Center for Mental Health and Drug Prevention the standard of minimum distance435 between the
beds are violated while in small wards the beds are practically put next to each other. Lack of personal
space, especially against the background of impossibility to engage in meaningful activities outside the
ward, negatively affects the health of patients. Not all patients in the wards have a storage room for
personal items. Existing closets are still not locked with a key and loss of item often becomes a cause of
conflict between the patients.
In 2019, In the thematic monitoring report of Ltd., Acad. B.Naneishvili National Center for Mental Health, the Public
Defender welcomed the introduction of a Patient Complaints Review Commission, which studies the suggestions and
complaints made by patients orally or in writing. See the special report of the Public Defender on Monitoring Ltd., Acad. B.
Naneishvili National Center for Mental Health. p. 10, available at: <https://bit.ly/3sIxe9H>, [last visited: 21.01.2021].
432 Extract from the CPT general report, CPT/Inf(98)12-part. para 32.
433 UN 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Article 4.
434 According to the rules and conditions on issuing a license for medical activities and the permit for an inpatient institution
approved by the Resolution N385 of the Government of Georgia of December 17, 2010, the area per patient in the ward
should not be less than 8 sq.m.
435 According to the rules and conditions on issuing a license for medical activities and the permit for an inpatient institution
approved by the Resolution N385 of the Government of Georgia of December 17, 2010, distance between the beds should
not be less than 1.5 meters.
431
128
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