conditions and developing modern, community-based services in the country, although without a specific strategy, the process runs the risk of developing deinstitutionalization in the wrong direction. The placement of people with mental health problems in large institutions does not comply with Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Therefore, the state policymaking agencies should take effective steps as soon as possible to facilitate the deinstitutionalization process and the development of community-based services. One recommendation to the Ministry concerned the inspection of all psychiatric institutions by the Internal Audit Department of the Ministry. The reply received from the Ministry reads that the Audit Department, which is a part of the system of the Ministry, is not authorized to inspect private psychiatric institutions. This recommendation has not been implemented. It should be noted that the State owns 100% of shares in 6 out of 11 psychiatric institutions implementing the state health programme. Therefore, all 6 of the institutions fall under the competence of the Internal Audit Department.274 The Ministry has not provided information on whether monitoring was carried out in the mentioned institutions or not. One recommendation to the Ministry concerned the issue of referring patients to community-based services. In particular, the Public Defender/Special Preventive Group requested an assessment of the needs of patients placed in psychiatric facilities for more than 6 months for the purpose of discharging them from the facility and referring them to the community-based services, as well as development of a plan for the establishment of shelters in accordance with the number of future beneficiaries of the shelter.275 This recommendation has not been implemented. The recommendation has been endorsed by the Parliament of Georgia and has been reflected in its resolution.276 The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture also talks about the development of community-based services in its 2019 report on Georgia.277 The reply received from the Ministry shows that measures are being taken to develop mental health care standards and effective evaluation mechanisms. One recommendation to the Ministry concerned the evaluation of the state oversight and patients’ rights monitoring system by independent experts for the purpose of increasing its effectiveness. This recommendation has been endorsed by the Parliament of Georgia and has been reflected in its 274 Article 4 (2) of the Law of Georgia on Public Internal Financial Control. Resolution No. 473 of the Government of Georgia on Approval of the Statute of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia, Article 10. 275 Detailed information can be found in the following report on the visit to Acad B. Naneishvili National Mental Health Centre, p.21, see the link <https://bit.ly/399X6Ag> [last accessed: 28.01.2020]. 276 Resolution of the Parliament of Georgia on the Report of the Public Defender of Georgia on the Situation of Human Rights and Freedoms in Georgia in 2018. 277 Report of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture on the visit to Georgia (CPT/Inf (2019) 16), para. 106, September 10-21, 2018, available in English at: <https://rm.coe.int/1680945eca> [last accessed: 15.01.20]. 98