signature. The oral information of the rights is placed under the responsibility of supervisory staff
and then according to item 11.1. includes: the rights and obligations on compliance with the
internal rules and regulations, the general rights of detainees under international and domestic
law, their right to correspondence, visits, meetings, phone calls, stay outdoors or at designated
locations, on the volume of the permitted cash for personal use, acceptable food, personal
belongings, etc. Obviously, verbal way of notification by employees whose duties is compliance
with these rights creates a conflict of interest and it is held formally.
Administration and financial security
The NPM underlines the fact that there are severe working conditions for employees at the
detention facilities. The NPM team defines labour conditions in the detention facility at G.M.
Dimitrov Blvd. in Sofia as extremely difficult and hazardous to health. In most of the detention
facilities the administrative activity takes place in intermediate rooms, corridors, even in places
partitioned by particle boards enclosing volume above the stairs and forming an area of 2 square
meters.
A problem in current insufficient payment of supplies and consumables has been also
established. An example of the above is the cut off of the electricity in the detention facility in the
city of Elhovo, restored after the intervention of the district attorney. This necessitates either
taking decisive measures by increasing the budget or changing the model of funding for the
detention facilities (e.g. the budget to be delegated).
BASIC FINDINGS FROM THE INSPECTION IN STATE PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALS AND PSYCHIATRIC
WARDS
Legislation
Psychiatric hospitals as medical institutions should be opened and operated under the
requirements of the Law on Medical Institutions (LMI) and the relevant medical standard - Medical
Standard „Psychiatry”, approved by Decree No 24/07.07.2004 on
During the inspections of the NPM some non-conformities with the existing regulations in the
operation of the state psychiatric hospitals (SPH) have been established. They operate in
accordance with the Decree No 20/22.02.2000 laying down the medical institutions operation
under art. 5 para 1 of the LMI and their specific function, but do not have a certificate for a certain
level of competence in accordance with the Medical Standard „Psychiatry”.
The levels of competence are determined according to the standard of the various wards and
clinics, constituting a hospital for inpatient care. Inspections carried out by the NPM found that
none of the state psychiatric hospitals has passed an assessment of the level of competence in
accordance with the regulatory requirements. Therefore, such hospitals do not comply with the
conditions laid down in the Medical Standard „Psychiatry”.
In examining these hospitals serious non-conformities with the facilities reflected in the internal
rules and regulations have been established. For example, according to the rules and regulation of
22 Annual Report of the National Preventive Mechanism |
OMBUDSMAN OF THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents