Illness, death in Georgian prisons reducing, say CoE experts

Experts from the Council of Europe (CoE) say the number of people who are ill or die in prison due to poor health has "significantly decreased” over the past three years thanks to efforts by the Government of Georgia.

Today the CoE experts released an interim report of Georgia’s Prison Healthcare Development Strategy and Action Plan for 2014 – 2017, which outlined Georgia’s progress to reduce the prevalence of existing and potential illnesses in local jails that could end fatally. 

The report highlighted the following achievements: 

• A decreased number of prisoners; 
• Increased state finances spent on healthcare in prisons; 
• Increased medical staff in prisons; 
• Increased availability to normal living conditions for inmates which covers enough space in cells, tidiness in cells and sufficient walking areas; 
• Successful treatment of Hepatitis C in prisons. 

For Georgia to improve further, the report offered several recommendations. The major recommendations included the necessity of better working conditions for prison staff and establishing a higher level of mechanisms to protect inmates’ rights. 

The recommendation section also stated: 

• Medical facilities in prisons should be permanently checked; 
• More trainings should be ensured for medical and prison staff to prevent violations; 
• Taking photos should be allowed at penitentiary institutions in order to ensure necessary evidence in case of violation; 
• Prison administration should ensure maximum confidentiality of medical information of inmates;  
• Prisoners should be offered permanent primary screenings for AIDS, hepatitis and syphilis. 

The Prison Healthcare Development Strategy and Action Plan for 2014 – 2017 was developed through joint efforts of Georgia’s Ministry of Corrections, Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Affairs, the European Union (EU) and the CoE. 

The main aim of the Prison Healthcare Development Strategy and Action Plan was to reveal the drawbacks in Georgia’s prisons and take necessary steps to eliminate them.