The basic drugs list of the penitentiary health-care system273 determines the list of those medicines, which the Ministry of Corrections took commitment to provide at its own expense. The Medical Department of the Ministry of Corrections spent 2,210,020 GEL on medicines and other medical expenses in 2016. It is noteworthy that compared to 2015, the sums spent on medicines is less by 1, 65, 214 GEL. In the Parliamentary Report of 2015, the Public Defender pointed out the problem of replacing prescribed medicines as well as the deficit of medicines in penitentiary establishments, including the medicines for cold.274 The same problems persist in 2016 as well. It is noteworthy that penitentiary establishments order three-month stock of drugs in November. The reason for this practice is the difficulty related to drug supply at the end of the year caused by tender related issues. During a visit275 to penitentiary establishment no. 3, the members of the Special Preventive Group inspected the supply of drugs prescribed for patients. The members of the Special Preventive Group established that in general the drug supply is satisfactory. However, there were certain shortcomings identified. It has turned out that whenever a particular medicine was out of stock, a doctor would cancel the prescription or replace the prescribed medicine with another drug that was available at the material time in the given penitentiary establishment. During the visits made by the Medical Regulation Division in 2016 to penitentiary establishments nos. 2, 5 and 7, the balance between the remaining and issued medicines was inspected. The inspection results showed that, on several occasions, the precise quantity of drugs issued was not registered in the relevant documentation. For instance, in establishment no. 2, a nurse failed to document the use of 30 pills of apalin in the drug registry journal. During the visit276 made by the Medical Regulation Division in 2016 to penitentiary establishment no. 5, it was found out that among the medicines stored on the drugs shelves, there was expired pharmaceutical product called ultracaine 1.7 ml (no. 100) that had expired in Jun 2016; three boxes of digoxin 0.25 mg (no. 40) was to expire in November 2016. The person in charge of the drug stock did not have any information regarding this. It should be noted that among the expired medicines, there were drugs (moditen depo no. 5, pletoz 50 mg, trenatal 5ml, and symbicort aerosol 60) which could have been issued in case of timely notification to the drug stores of other penitentiary establishments. The person in charge of the drug stores could not present any information in writing which would certify the supply of the medicines being in surplus, or with a short shelf-life, to the drug stores or health care professionals of other penitentiary establishments. It should be positively mentioned that there is a practice of exchanging information among penitentiary establishments regarding the medicines in surplus. Persons in charge of drug stores sends the list of medicines in surplus to other penitentiary establishments every month and upon request provides drugs to those establishments in need. 273 274 275 276 Approved by Order no. 31 of the Minister of Corrections of Georgia, dated 22 April 2015. The Parliamentary Report of 2015, p. 91, see at: http://www.ombudsman.ge/uploads/other/3/3891.pdf. 2-4 February 2017. 20 October 2016. 130 HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN CLOSED INSTITUTIONS