quality of medical services and ensuring patients’ safety, the system for quality management has been regulated statutorily,264 which is also positively assessed. According to the information received from the Ministry of Corrections of Georgia, the cost of equivalent medical services for remand and convicted persons amounted to 2,178,441 GEL in 2016, which is lower by 1,854,193 GEL compared to 2015. As regards the administrative expenditure of the Medical Department, according to the received information, in 2016, the administrative expenditure (salaries of the medical personnel, office expenditure, etc.) has been allocated from the programme code of equivalent medical services for remand and convicted persons to another programme code of another administrative expenditure of the Ministry. Therefore, the information about the said expenditure has not been provided. 3.9.2. MEDICAL INFRASTRUCTURE OF PENITENTIARY ESTABLISHMENTS There are 37 first aid health-care groups and 2 medical establishments providing medical services in penitentiary establishments. In 2016, there was still a problem with providing medical services in former cells of medical units, which adversely affects the quality of provided services. In medical rooms, ventilation remains out of order and the veneer of the walls and the floor does not allow wet cleaning and hence observance of sanitation and hygiene standards. In the Parliamentary Report of 2015, the Public Defender recommended to the Minister of Corrections of Georgia to ensure compliance of medical units of penitentiary establishments with the standards afforded in the country. It was recommended, among others, to ensure availability of adequate equipment in these units and control of medical equipment, adjustment of ventilations system and laying antistatic linoleum flooring. According to the information received from the Medical Department of the Ministry of Corrections,265 the items and equipments in all penitentiary establishments that are out of order, or in need of repairs or replacement, have been inventoried. Based on the inventory, medical units are being gradually equipped with new purchases (items and equipment). The monitoring visits carried out by the Special Preventive Group have revealed that there are cases where it is impossible to place the purchased items in penitentiary establishments as there is not enough space. It should be noted that, during the visit made by the Special Preventive Group to penitentiary establishment no. 18,266 the biochemical analysis equipment of the establishment was out of order and, therefore, the test material had to be taken to a civil hospital for analysis. This is again related to additional time and costs. In 2015, the Public Defender of Georgia also recommended to the Minister of Corrections concerning bringing the medical units in compliance with the standards afforded in the country. According to the response received from the Medical Department of the Ministry of Corrections, dentists’ rooms in penitentiary establishments nos. 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 264 Approved by Order no. 2361 of the Minister of Corrections of Georgia of 6 May 2016. 265 Letter no. MOC01700166123 of the Medical Department of the Ministry of Corrections, dated 6 March 2017. 266 17-18 January 2017 NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM (NPM), 2016 127