The research analyzes provisions of the Minimum standard rules of prisoners treatment of 2017. (Nelson Mandela’s rules) in the sphere of medical support of prisoners; draws a comparative analysis of Nelson Mandela`s Rules with standards of the Minimum standard rules of prisoners treatment of 1955 and standards of the Russian legislation in the specified sphere; reveals new statutes, emphasizes the advantages these Rules and their significance for penal practice. The author also works out some suggestions for improvement of home legislation.The acceptance of the resolution 70/175 of the United Nations General Assembly of the processed version of the Minimum standard rules and treatment of prisoners on December 17, 2015. Was preceded by long and laborious work of experts who have created the list of provisions of the Minimum standard rules (only nine) which are subject to obligatory revision preceded. Directly two of them treat the sphere of medical and sanitary service of prisoners: medical services and health protection (rules 22-26, 52, 62 and 71.2) and disciplinary actions and measures of punishment, including the role of medicalstaff, solitary confinement and reduction of a food allowance (rule 27, 29, 31 and 32).The analysis of contents of the Minimum standard rules of prisoners treatment and Nelson Mandela’s Rules confirms a number of new statutes introduced by Nelson Mandela’s Rules inrelation to health protection of prisoners, and advantages of Nelson Mandela’s Rules which should be considered in the following aspects.Firstly, quantitative and qualitative expansion of regulation of the sphere of prisoners health protection; fixing of medical and sanitary treatment of prisoners as obligations of the state.Secondly, defining ethical standards of professional activity of penitentiary doctors, especially in questions of participation in tortures or others cruel, inhuman or degrading kinds of treatment or punishment as well as reduction of food allowance in the list of the forbidden measures. However along with an attempt of fixing of the main ethical standards in Nelson Mandela’s Rules there are no algorithms of actions of penitentiary doctors in cases of "double loyalty". From our point of view the need of wording of such procedures is one of the most problematic issues of professional medical activity in places of detention.Thirdly, disclosure of already being available concepts and specification of their application. They are the following: the structure of medical and sanitary treatment, the purpose of leaving of a child with one of his parents in prison, specification of the procedure of reception of a prisoner in a place of confinement.It should be noted that the main part of provisions of Nelson Mandela’s Rules has found reflection in the Russian penal legislation. However, some should be paid special attention for studying the question of their inclusion in home legislation. First of all it concerns standard fixing of professional independence of medical staff of the penal system as well as the list (contents) of the measures qualified as cruel or humiliating human dignity treatment of convicts. At the same time it should be noted that a number of pressing problems in the sphere of health protection of convicts haven’t found the reflection in Nelson Mandela’s Rules. In particular, it concerns the problems of forced feeding of convicts and providing paid medical services to them.